Ocean Biomedical announces preclinical oncology data for VRON-0300

Ocean Biomedical announced that its joint venture partner, Virion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel T cell-based immunotherapies, recently presented highly compelling preclinical oncology data at the annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, SITC 2023. These new data demonstrate complete and highly reproducible tumor clearance, and protection upon tumor rechallenge, months after animals cleared their initial tumors. A markedly improved immunogenicity was also demonstrated, with a 10-fold increase in T cell responses. VRON-0300 IND-enabling activities are underway, with the goal of filing its first IND within the next 9 months. Virion Therapeutics is developing novel immunotherapies that utilize proprietary genetically encoded checkpoint modifiers to enhance and broaden CD8+ T cells responses. “The initiation of our first clinical trial, for VRON-0200, represents a major milestone in Virion’s mission of bringing innovative immunotherapies to patients with cancer and chronic infectious diseases,” said Virion’s CEO, Dr. Andrew Luber. “Enhancing and expanding a patient’s own immune responses, by targeting T cell activation, via checkpoint modification, is unique to Virion, and these first data in humans will provide useful information for our proprietary platform technologies and pipeline, including VRON-0300, which is in development for patients with advanced solid tumors,” Luber added. “These clinical milestones and new data have generated a high level of interest from potential stakeholders and industry partners, for both our VRON-0200 and VRON-0300 programs.”