Orgenesis collaboration with Madrid hospital to develop solid tumor treatment Celyvir enters second phase

Orgenesis Inc (NASDAQ:ORGS) (FRA:45O) announced Thursday that it has entered the second phase of its collaboration with Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid, Spain, focused on the hospital’s proprietary solid tumor treatment, Celyvir.  The collaboration is focused on an exclusive license agreement to further develop and commercialize Celyvir.  The agreement follows an initial collaboration between the parties announced in May 2020 to establish a point-of-care center leveraging the Orgenesis POCare platform, announced in May 2020.  The POCare platform has been designed by Orgenesis to enable hospitals and healthcare facilities globally to develop, optimize and manufacture cell and gene therapies throughout a POC Network of global healthcare facilities, the company said.  READ: Orgenesis expecting revenue to more than double in 2021 as it updates on growth strategy “The Phase 1 trial data from children and adults with solid tumors indicates that Celyvir has a favorable safety profile and promotes disease stabilization,” Manuel Ramírez, head of the hospital’s Pediatric Advanced Therapies unit, said  “We have partnered with Orgenesis to rapidly develop Celyvir to its full potential. Both of our teams are dedicated to bringing groundbreaking cell and gene therapies, potentially starting with Celyvir, to patients worldwide through the Orgenesis POCare Network.” The Celyvir therapy takes a new approach to the treatment of solid metastatic tumors. An oncolytic virotherapy is administered using autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from bone marrow to improve the virus’ potency, the company said. Oncolytic viruses are genetically modified viruses that induce targeted cancer-killing mechanisms.  Traditionally, the intravenous administration of an unshielded oncolytic virus elicits an antiviral response, which can lead to virus clearance without the desired oncolytic action, the company said. The bone marrow-derived Celyvir therapy shields the virus using MSCs with reduced capacity to inhibit viral replication and viral load.  “Orgenesis has seen the potential of the Celyvir therapy to transform the treatment of solid metastatic tumors,” Orgenesis CEO Vered Caplan said. “This offers patients a lower toxicity profile and simpler treatment protocol. Aiding hospitals such as the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús with developing these kinds of therapies themselves is the exact reason why Orgenesis developed its POCare platform. “Now that the POCare platform has demonstrated direct value to the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, we have decided to enter the second phase of the collaboration, and carry forward a long-term commitment to commercializing other promising immune-oncology therapies developed by the hospital.” Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel