OxSonics Presents Preclinical Data Demonstrating SonoTran® Enhanced the Delivery and Efficacy of an Oncolytic Virus in a Murine Bladder Cancel Model

Data presented at the International Oncolytic Virus Conference (IOVC) from a collaboration with Turnstone Biologics

OXFORD, UK , October 25, 2022 / B3C newswire / -- OxSonics Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on transforming cancer treatment through SonoTran®, its ultrasound-based drug delivery platform, today announces positive preclinical efficacy and delivery data for SonoTran® in combination with Turnstone Biologic’s enhanced oncolytic vaccinia virus. The data was presented in a poster entitled ‘Ultrasound-enhanced delivery and improved efficacy of an oncolytic vaccinia virus in a murine bladder cancer model’ at the International Oncolytic Virus Conference (IOVC), Karuizawa, Japan on 24 October by Dr Erika Vojtasova.

Oncolytic viruses have shown great potential as cancer treatments through their stimulation of the immune system. However, poor pharmacokinetics and low tumor penetration have limited their effectiveness and restricted their clinical application. SonoTran®, OxSonics’ proprietary technology platform, is being developed to enhance the delivery and improve the efficacy of oncology drugs. It combines innovative Particles that are co-administered independently with an anti-cancer drug, which are activated by a novel ultrasound device at the tumor site, creating a localised pumping effect that increases the delivery and penetration of the anti-cancer drug throughout the tumor.

The data from the two-part project presented in the poster was a collaboration between OxSonics Therapeutics and Turnstone Biologics to assess the ability of SonoTran® to improve delivery and efficacy of an unarmed enhanced oncolytic vaccinia virus (VV) in a murine bladder cancer model.

The initial pilot study evaluated high and low doses of VV, which were intravenously administered either with or without SonoTran®. The results showed the tumors treated with SonoTran® demonstrated higher viral spread in their tumors at both dose levels compared with those treated with the virus alone. In the second study, this increase in viral spread in the tumor translated into better efficacy, with 78% of the mice treated with VV + SonoTran® surviving to the end of the study vs 56% in the mice treated with VV alone. Both studies showed that SonoTran® resulted in a smaller average tumor size, and increased the numbers of responders to the treatment.

SonoTran® is currently being evaluated in a phase I/IIa proof of concept clinical study in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with liver metastases.

Christian Coviello, Chief Technology Officer, commented: “We are very encouraged by this mouse model data, which further demonstrates the potential of SonoTran® to enhance the delivery and efficacy of oncology drugs. Oncolytic viruses are an exciting class of therapeutic with significant potential in cancer treatment, however their development has been marred by their poor pharmacokinetic profile and inability to effectively penetrate solid tumors. In this project, SonoTran® was able to improve the targeted tumor delivery of Turnstone’s enhanced oncolytic virus and we saw this translate into long-term efficacy effects, with a lower average tumor size, increased treatment response rate, and greater survival rates in those mice that received SonoTran®.”

The poster is available on the Company's website at: Scientific Publications - OxSonics Therapeutics