DNAtrix, Valo Therapeutics Enter Strategic R&D Pact

DNAtrix and Valo Therapeutics entered an exclusive R&D collaboration to develop enhanced vaccines using DNAtrix’s clinical stage viruses and Valo’s antigenic peptide technology. 

DNAtrix’s clinical stage oncolytic adenovirus platform and Valo’s PeptiCRAd (Peptide-coated Conditionally Replicating Adenovirus) vaccination technology will be combined to generate a novel “armed oncolytic vaccine” for cancer therapy.  While oncolytic adenoviruses alone offer a promising strategy to treat cancer, it’s expected that the combination with PeptiCRAd will be superior and durable immunological protection against most forms of solid tumors. This has significant potential as a personalized therapeutic capable of focusing the immune system on generating cancer specific CD8+ (killer) T cells on a case by case basis. 

“We are thrilled to be working with DNAtrix, who shares our vision to develop and deliver safe and effective new treatments for cancer patients,” said Dr. Michael Stein, executive chairman of the board of Valo Tx. “DNAtrix brings world-class expertise and experience in multiple tumor types and clinically-tested oncolytic viruses, making them an ideal partner for development of a new class of armed oncolytic vaccines.”

Dr. Frank Tufaro, chief executive officer of DNAtrix said, “Valo Tx’s PeptiCRAd platform has enormous promise for the personalized treatment of tumors. For the first time, we can combine the potent tumor killing and immune stimulation triggered by viruses along with a patient specific antitumor vaccine for generating effective antitumor immunity. Perhaps most importantly, the process eliminates the need to manufacture new viruses for each patient. We are moving swiftly into the clinic to evaluate this exciting technology.”