Valo Therapeutics Limited, an immuno-oncology company developing tumour antigen-coated oncolytic viruses as therapeutic vaccines, has licensed proprietary PeptiENVTM technology from Helsinki University, it was reported yesterday.

The license is intended to allow the coating of enveloped viruses with tumour associated antigens. Valo Tx earlier in-licenced its PeptiCRAdTM technology for use with adenoviruses from the University of Helsinki. PeptiENV is likely to improve the therapeutic response to enveloped oncolytic viruses in the treatment of multiple forms of cancer. The data indicated that activation of a tumour specific immune response against cancer cells is more effective with PeptiENV when compared to uncoated enveloped oncolytic viruses alone.

Professor Vincenzo Cerullo, the inventor of the PeptiENV technology with Dr Erkko Ylosmaki, said, 'One of the biggest hurdles in the clinical use of cancer vaccination is being overcome through the ability to expose cancer cells to immune surveillance using checkpoint inhibitors. As the neoantigen field continues to explode, the focus is on the identification of potent adjuvants to enable the activation of a cancer specific CD8+ T cell response that is strong enough to completely clear cancer cells. Oncolytic viruses in combination with neoantigens are potent stimulators of an immune response and therefore make excellent adjuvants.'