Ocean Biomedical (NASDAQ

OCEA) Congratulates JV Partner, Virion Therapeutics, on Promising First-Ever Human Phase 1B Clinical Safety Data for Their Lead Checkpoint Modifier-Containing Immunotherapy for HBV Functional Cure, at Global APASL

Providence, RI, March 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCEA), a biopharma company working to accelerate the development of compelling discoveries from top research scientists, today congratulates its JV partner Virion Therapeutics, LLC, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel T cell-based immunotherapies, on its late breaker oral presentation highlighting the first-ever human data from its novel checkpoint modifier immunotherapy for HBV functional cure (VRON-0200), at the 33^rd Annual Meeting of APASL (The Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver), taking place in Kyoto, Japan from March 27 - 31.

The late breaker Phase 1 data presented today, Virion APASL 2024 Clinical Late Breaker , which includes Virion’s first checkpoint modifier, glycoprotein D (gD), demonstrated that VRON-0200 was safe and well tolerated, with no clinical or laboratory changes of concern, following a single intramuscular of 10 chronically HBV-infected patients, representing 641 patient safety days. “These first ever data for a checkpoint modifier containing T cell vaccine of any kind, represent a critical first step towards our goal of bringing a safe, well tolerated, and easy to administer interferon-sparing immunotherapy to HBV-infected patients worldwide,” said Virion’s CEO, Dr. Andrew Luber. Luber added, “VRON-0200 is our lead clinical program and these clinical safety data will further support our proprietary platform technologies and other pipeline programs in development, including VRON-0300, which is for patients with advanced solid tumors.”

Unlike monoclonal antibody checkpoint inhibitors which attempt to “rescue” already activated, but exhausted CD8⁺ T cells, checkpoint modifiers alter T cell activation to amplify and broaden a patient’s own immune response – this may include regions of a tumor or infectious disease that are not normally stimulated during a chronic disease, thereby potentially producing a “new” immune response. In addition, after an intramuscular injection, checkpoint modifiers act locally, at the injection site, and not throughout the body, thereby limiting the risk for serious adverse events such as those seen following the intravenous administration of monoclonal antibody checkpoint inhibitors. The clinical safety of this novel mechanism of action, via checkpoint modification, are supported by the these first data presented at APASL.