CALGARY, Alberta, --- February 21, 2008 – Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY), will participate as an invited speaker in a session entitled “Case Studies in Gene Therapies” at the Oncology Biologics Development Primer (OBDP) conference on Friday, February 29, 2008. The OBDP was developed by the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc) to explore and discuss best practices for worldwide biologics development. The conference runs from February 28-29, 2008 in Gaithersburg, MD.
For more information about the conference, please visit www.isbtc.org and click on “Oncology Biologics Development Primer.”
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Virus as Viable Drug
"Coincidence or phenomena? The reovirus is Mother Nature's own cancer-killer." Provocative headlines from PharmExec.com.
Read the full article here.
Read the full article here.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Latest update on Kenny
Kenny, a patient in the San Antonio trials, checks in with some new information:
...this last time, I also had a PET scan (my first one). The results showed “no metabolic activity”, which “suggests” that there may not be any active cancer cells anywhere. Medically speaking, there seems to be little evidence that I have cancer any more...
Exciting indeed. I encourage everyone to keep Kenny in your prayers.
Read the full article here.
...this last time, I also had a PET scan (my first one). The results showed “no metabolic activity”, which “suggests” that there may not be any active cancer cells anywhere. Medically speaking, there seems to be little evidence that I have cancer any more...
Exciting indeed. I encourage everyone to keep Kenny in your prayers.
Read the full article here.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. to Present at Bio CEO & Investor Conference
CALGARY, Alberta, --- February 6, 2008
Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY), will participate as an invited speaker as part of a panel discussion entitled “Breaking Down the Barriers to New Neuro-Oncology Drugs” at the 10th Annual Bio CEO & Investor Conference 2008 on Monday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m. (ET). The conference, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 biotechnology and life sciences investors, will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on February 11-13, 2008.
Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY), will participate as an invited speaker as part of a panel discussion entitled “Breaking Down the Barriers to New Neuro-Oncology Drugs” at the 10th Annual Bio CEO & Investor Conference 2008 on Monday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m. (ET). The conference, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 biotechnology and life sciences investors, will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on February 11-13, 2008.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Announces Publication of Research on Combination Reovirus and Radiation Therapy
CALGARY, Canada, February 4 /PRNewswire/
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) ('Oncolytics') reported today that Dr. Kevin Harrington and his research group at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, U.K. published the results of their work testing combination treatment schedules of reovirus and radiation in human and murine tumour cells in vitro and in vivo. The paper, entitled "Enhanced In vitro and In vivo Cytotoxicity of Combined Reovirus and Radiotherapy" appears online in the February 1, 2008 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
The effect of different schedules of reovirus and radiotherapy on viral replication and cytotoxicity was tested in vitro and the combination was assessed in three tumour models in vivo. The results demonstrated that combining reovirus and radiotherapy significantly increased cancer cell killing both in vitro and in vivo, particularly in cell lines with moderate susceptibility to reovirus alone.
"Dr. Harrington's work demonstrates convincingly that REOLYSIN® works to enhance the effects of radiation therapy," said Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics. "The results of this preclinical research provided strong support for the combination REOLYSIN® and radiation clinical trials we are conducting in the U.K. To date, we have successfully completed enrolment in a Phase Ia/Ib combination REOLYSIN® and radiation trial and are currently enrolling patients in a Phase II trial using this combination".
From the abstract:
Results: Characterization of reovirus cytotoxicity in a panel of cell lines yielded a range of sensitivities. Combined reovirus and radiotherapy yielded statistically significantly increased cytotoxicity, particularly in cell lines with moderate susceptibility to reovirus alone. The enhanced cytotoxicity of the combination occurred independently of treatment sequence or schedule. Radiation did not affect viral replication and only reduced reoviral cytotoxicity after clinically irrelevant single doses (>50 Gy). Combination index analysis revealed synergy between radiation (3-10 Gy) and reovirus at multiplicities of infection between 0.001 and 1. Combination treatment significantly increased apoptosis in tumor cells relative to either single-agent treatment. In vivo studies using xenograft and syngeneic tumors showed enhanced activity of the combination relative to reovirus or radiation alone (P <>
View the complete abstract here.
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) ('Oncolytics') reported today that Dr. Kevin Harrington and his research group at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, U.K. published the results of their work testing combination treatment schedules of reovirus and radiation in human and murine tumour cells in vitro and in vivo. The paper, entitled "Enhanced In vitro and In vivo Cytotoxicity of Combined Reovirus and Radiotherapy" appears online in the February 1, 2008 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
The effect of different schedules of reovirus and radiotherapy on viral replication and cytotoxicity was tested in vitro and the combination was assessed in three tumour models in vivo. The results demonstrated that combining reovirus and radiotherapy significantly increased cancer cell killing both in vitro and in vivo, particularly in cell lines with moderate susceptibility to reovirus alone.
"Dr. Harrington's work demonstrates convincingly that REOLYSIN® works to enhance the effects of radiation therapy," said Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics. "The results of this preclinical research provided strong support for the combination REOLYSIN® and radiation clinical trials we are conducting in the U.K. To date, we have successfully completed enrolment in a Phase Ia/Ib combination REOLYSIN® and radiation trial and are currently enrolling patients in a Phase II trial using this combination".
From the abstract:
Results: Characterization of reovirus cytotoxicity in a panel of cell lines yielded a range of sensitivities. Combined reovirus and radiotherapy yielded statistically significantly increased cytotoxicity, particularly in cell lines with moderate susceptibility to reovirus alone. The enhanced cytotoxicity of the combination occurred independently of treatment sequence or schedule. Radiation did not affect viral replication and only reduced reoviral cytotoxicity after clinically irrelevant single doses (>50 Gy). Combination index analysis revealed synergy between radiation (3-10 Gy) and reovirus at multiplicities of infection between 0.001 and 1. Combination treatment significantly increased apoptosis in tumor cells relative to either single-agent treatment. In vivo studies using xenograft and syngeneic tumors showed enhanced activity of the combination relative to reovirus or radiation alone (P <>
View the complete abstract here.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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.
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