Transgene signs deal to develop multifunctional oncolytics

French biotech Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG) and Northern Ireland-based Randox Laboratories, a global leader in in vitro diagnostics, have entered into a collaboration to combine their technologies and develop multifunctional oncolytic immunotherapies.

Innovative oncolytic viruses (OVs) resulting from this collaboration will use Transgene’s proprietary next generation viral platform Invir.IO in which one or more of Randox’ SdAbs (single-domain antibodies) will be vectorized. The immunotherapies resulting from this collaboration will combine the oncolytic effect of the viruses with the properties of the vectorized SdAbs that will be locally expressed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with the aim of treating immunosuppressed solid tumors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Transgene will develop novel anticancer oncolytic virus drugs using its proprietary Vaccinia virus (TK-, RR-) strain, and its expertise in molecular engineering and translational research. This novel viral strain offers increased oncolytic properties. In addition, its large genome capacity, which is very differentiating, enables multiple therapeutic payloads (“anticancer weapons”) to be delivered in the tumor, where the virus replicates. Randox will provide expertise in antibody engineering and make available its collection of new and future immunotherapeutic SdAbs to be used as vectorized payloads. These SdAbs have the potential to modulate the patient’s immune response and produce a powerful synergistic effect with Transgene’s oncolytic viral platform.