VacV Biotherapeutics emerges from stealth mode to bring

PRESS RELEASE

VacV Biotherapeutics emerges from stealth mode to bring ground-breaking cancer immunotherapies to the clinic

• Enhanced systemic delivery system using novel Vaccinia virus technology targets a range of cancers
• Builds on more than 20 years of pioneering research at Barts Cancer Institute, one of the top cancer research centers in the UK
• Strong pre-clinical validation with a lead asset poised to enter clinical development

London, UK, 26 October 2022 – VacV Biotherapeutics (“VacV” or “the Company”), a cancer immunotherapy company developing innovative viral-based therapies, emerged from stealth mode today to advance its promising pipeline of pre-clinical assets with best-in-class potential, towards the clinic.

VacV has spun out of Barts Cancer Institute and Queen Mary University of London following 20 years of pioneering research by immunotherapy experts Professor Yaohe Wang, Professor Nicholas Lemoine, and their team of internationally renowned cell and gene therapy researchers. The Company has already attracted a $3 million investment from Proxima Ventures, which it has used to complete preclinical studies and build the team.

Immunotherapies, which enable a patient’s immune system to recognize and target cancer cells, have made a significant difference to cancer patients over the last decade. However, many patients fail to respond. Oncolytic viruses can directly kill cancer cells, alter the tumor microenvironment and sensitize more patients to immunotherapy.

Glyn Edwards, Executive Chairman of VacV Biotherapeutics, commented: “VacV’s platform addresses many of the historic challenges faced by oncolytic viruses and builds on more than 20 years of research experience of its founders. We use a carefully engineered virus to destroy the tumor and activate anti-cancer immunity at the same time. As a pioneer in this space, VacV has generated viruses with optimal payloads and backbones to create a systemically deliverable, targeted,…