On May 2, 2022 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) and SOLTI-Innovative Cancer Research reported the acceptance of an abstract for a poster presentation at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology Breast Cancer Meeting, which is taking place both online and in-person at hub27 – Messe Berlin in Berlin, Germany from May 3-5, 2022 (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, MAY 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234613308]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The accepted abstract (#364) is available on the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Breast Cancer Meeting website. Included in the abstract are new results from cohort 1 and cohort 2 of the AWARE-1 study, a collaboration between Oncolytics Biotech and SOLTI, each of which enrolled ten HR+/HER2- early-stage breast cancer patients. These patients were treated with pelareorep and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole without (cohort 1) or with (cohort 2) the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab. Evaluation of these cohorts was the primary focus of AWARE-1 as HR+/HER2- is the breast cancer subtype Oncolytics intends to investigate in a future registrational study.
Results of this exploratory study described in the abstract show pelareorep’s potential to induce an inflamed tumor phenotype and its synergy with atezolizumab. They also support pelareorep’s immune-based mechanism of action and suggest that the combination of pelareorep and atezolizumab may improve outcomes in breast cancer. Additional details on analyses and results described in the abstract will be provided following the publication of its corresponding poster, in accordance with the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Breast Cancer Meeting’s embargo policies.
Details on the abstract and upcoming poster presentation are shown below.
Title: The oncolytic virus pelareorep primes the tumor microenvironment for checkpoint blockade therapy in early breast cancer patients – results from AWARE-1 study
Category: Biomarkers and translational research and precision medicine
Abstract Number: 364
Presentation Date: May 4, 2022
Presentation Time: 12:15 p.m. CET
About AWARE-1
AWARE-1 was an open-label window-of-opportunity study in early-stage breast cancer. The study combined pelareorep, without or with atezolizumab, and the standard of care therapy according to breast cancer subtype. Tumor tissue was collected from patients as part of their initial breast cancer diagnosis, again on day three following initial treatment, and finally at three weeks following treatment, on the day their tumor is surgically resected. Key objectives of the study were to confirm that pelareorep is acting as a novel immunotherapy, to evaluate potential synergy between pelareorep and checkpoint blockade, and to collect biomarker data. The primary endpoint of the translational study was overall CelTIL score (a measurement of cellularity and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes). Secondary endpoints for the study included safety and tumor and blood-based biomarkers.