Pfizer And Western Oncolytics Reach Immuno-Oncology Research Collaboration

Pfizer Inc. PFE and Western Oncolytics disclosed Thursday that they struck a development collaboration, license and option agreemen. The companies indicated that the collaboration would enable advance Western Oncolytics' novel oncolytic vaccinia virus, WO-12. Both the company refrained from disclosed financial terms of the agreement.

The two companies said Oncolytic viruses were viruses engineered to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells that elicits anti-cancer immune responses subsequently. The latest alliance in oncolytic virus development added one more novel technology platform to Pfizer's cancer vaccine efforts and offered one more tool to enhance its immuno-oncology portfolio.

The agreement terms allow Pfizer and Western Oncolytics to align on preclinical and clinical development of WO-12 through first stage study. Following completion of Phase I study, Pfizer has an exclusive option to buy WO-12.

Pfizer's Chief Scientific Officer for Vaccine Immunotherapeutics, James Merson, commented, "Our goal is to combine WO-12 with our portfolio of promising investigational immunotherapies to explore how these novel combinations could help further enhance the body's immune response in fighting cancer cells. We believe that the real advances in immuno-oncology will come from novel combinations, and cancer fighting viruses and vaccines could play a key role in helping transform cancer treatment and potentially enable us to treat more patients."

WO-12 is a preclinical investigational oncolytic virus engineered to replicate mainly in cancer cells while delivering several therapeutic genes that modulate the immune system to improve efficacy against a range of cancers. The companies indicated that through the replication of inside cancer cells, it was meant to both kill the cancer cell and releases tumor antigens.