Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Proceeds to Full Enrolment in U.S. Phase II Sarcoma Clinical Trial

CALGARY, AB, --- January 31, 2008 - Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (“Oncolytics”) (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY) announced today that it has met the initial criteria to proceed to full enrolment in its U.S. Phase II trial to evaluate the intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in patients with various sarcomas that have metastasized to the lung.

According to the trial protocol, to proceed to full enrolment of 52 patients, Oncolytics had to demonstrate that at least one patient in the first 38 patients treated experienced a complete or partial response, or stable disease for greater than six months. The third patient treated in the study was demonstrated to have stable disease by RECIST criteria for more than six months as measured by CT scan. A PET scan taken at the same time showed that any residual mass was metabolically inert.

A total of 12 patients have received REOLYSIN® treatment to date, with five remaining on study. All 12 patients have been treated at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas (CTRC at UTHSCSA).

“We are very pleased to proceed to the second stage of the REOLYSIN® study,” said Dr. Monica Mita, Principal Investigator at CTRC at UTHSCSA. “This unique targeted compound has met our expectations so far in terms of both tolerability and efficacy endpoints and we feel it is very important to continue to offer this agent to our patients.”

“While still early, these are very encouraging results,” said Dr. Karl Mettinger, Chief Medical Officer of Oncolytics. “There are few treatment options for patients with bone or soft tissue cancers, and we are pleased that the trial participants appear to be benefiting from REOLYSIN® treatment.”

Patients are expected to be enrolled at three additional sites, which include the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The trial (REO 014) is a Phase II, open-label, single agent study whose primary objective is to measure tumour responses and duration of response, and to describe any evidence of antitumour activity of intravenous, multiple dose REOLYSIN® in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas metastatic to the lung. REOLYSIN® is delivered intravenously to patients at a dose of 3x1010 TCID50 for five consecutive days. Patients may receive additional five-day cycles of therapy every four weeks for a maximum of eight cycles. Up to 52 patients will be enrolled in the study.

Eligible patients must have a bone or soft tissue sarcoma metastatic to the lung deemed by their physician to be unresponsive to or untreatable by standard therapies. These include patients with osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma family tumours, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, synovial sarcoma, fibrosarcoma and leiomyosarcoma.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Announces Issuance of 8th Canadian Patent

CALGARY, AB --- January 29, 2008 - Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) (“Oncolytics”) has been granted Canadian Patent 2,408,251 entitled “Clearance of Neoplastic Cells from Mixed Cellular Compositions using Viruses.” The claims describe methods of selectively removing cancer cells ex vivo from blood stem cells and other organs using various viruses including modified vaccinia viruses, herpes simplex viruses, parapoxviruses and adenoviruses.

“This patent broadens coverage in the area of using other modified oncolytic viruses to purge contaminating cancer cells from stem cell preparations used for transplants,” said Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics.

Oncolytics Biotech in Business Week Magazine

Siccing a Virus on the Deadliest Cancers

The February 4th edition of BusinessWeek magazine includes a feature on Oncolytics Biotech, Inc. and the NCI ovarian trials called: Siccing a Virus on the Deadliest Cancers.

I think a mention in such a high profile magazine speaks to the importance of these trials and the investigation of Reolysin with ovarian cancer.

Read the article here.

Article: Harmless Reovirus is a Cancer Killer

For those of you who missed this like I did, read the article from business week here regarding the NCI Phase I/II. I think of all the trials thus far this is the one I'm most personally interested in following.

Don't forget to scroll down for this morning's press release.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Announces Issuance of 7th Canadian Patent

1/23/2008 9:43:18 AM ET
CALGARY, AB --- January 23, 2008 -

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) (“Oncolytics”) has been granted Canadian Patent 2,508,238 entitled “Reovirus for the Treatment of Neoplasia.” The claims describe using various human reoviruses to treat cancers that have inactivated or deleted PKR, a host cellular protein responsible for preventing virus replication within a cell.

“This is a broad patent that expands our coverage in Canada in the area of cancers with inactivated PKR,” said Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics. “Oncolytics secured a similar patent in the U.S. in late 2007.”

About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics’ clinical program includes a variety of Phase I and Phase II human trials using REOLYSIN®, its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus, alone and in combination with radiation or chemotherapy. For further information about Oncolytics please visit www.oncolyticsbiotech.com

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Announces Filing of Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial with REOLYSIN®

CALGARY, AB, --- January 3, 2008 - Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (“Oncolytics”) (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY) announced today that the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has filed a protocol with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with metastatic ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancers using concurrent systemic and intraperitoneal administration of REOLYSIN®, Oncolytics’ proprietary formulation of the human reovirus. The NCI is sponsoring the trial under its Clinical Trials Agreement with Oncolytics, while Oncolytics will provide clinical supplies of REOLYSIN®.

The trial, which is being carried out at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, is expected to enroll up to 70 patients with metastatic ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancers.

These cancer indications were selected after comprehensive preclinical studies carried out by the NCI indicated the reovirus can kill ovarian cancer cells.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2007, and more than 15,000 will die from it.