Oncolytics Biotech Reports Preclinical Data Demonstrating the Synergistic Anti-cancer Activity of Pelareorep Combined with CAR T Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors

Mayo Clinic shows pelareorep vastly improved persistence and efficacy of CAR T cell therapy leading to cures in this model

Pelareorep's synergistic effects with CAR T therapy appear to be specific and were not observed with the oncolytic virus VSV

Results demonstrate the potential of pelareorep to broaden the applicability of CAR T cells to solid tumors

SAN DIEGO, Calif. and CALGARY, AB, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) announced publication of an electronic poster at the CAR-TCR Summit Europe 2021 with data from a preclinical study evaluating pelareorep and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell combination therapy in solid tumors.

Newly published results show that loading CAR T cells with pelareorep vastly improved their persistence and efficacy in a murine solid tumor model, in stark contrast to preclinical studies using intratumoral infection with the VSV oncolytic virus that weakened CAR T cells. Efficacy of pelareorep-loaded CAR T cell ("CAR/Pela") therapy was further enhanced by boosting mice 8 days later with a single intravenous dose of pelareorep ("pelareorep boost"), generating highly persistent CAR T cells, inhibition of recurrent tumor growth, and ultimately tumor cures. These synergistic immune effects were specific to pelareorep, as intravenous boosting with VSV did not augment CAR/Pela therapy or prevent the growth of recurrent tumors. Survival data from the preclinical study are shown below:

Therapy	Survival Rate at End of Study
PBS (vehicle)	0% (0/7)
CAR T	14% (1/7)
Pelareorep	0% (0/7)
Pelareorep + Pelareorep boost	0% (0/7)
CAR/Pela	57% (4/7)
CAR/Pela + pelareorep boost	100% (7/7)