Viruses can cause severe, even malignant diseases. However, they can be converted into effective cancer immunotherapy.
About CanVirex
Cancer remains a global burden and by 2030, incidence rates are projected to increase by 54%. Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating and it does not spare friends or family members. In addition to the devastating diagnosis, cancer patients often have to deal with painful side effects that require hospitalization and eventually lead to discontinuation of therapy. Modern cancer therapies became incomprehensibly expensive and, in the end, may turn out to be ineffective.
Our vision: Affordable, best-in-class cancer treatments with fewer side effects for an improved quality-of-life under treatment
CanVirex is a spin-off from the Heidelberg University Hospital, founded in 2017 in Basel, Switzerland. The company develops novel immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer and is ready for the clinical translation of its proprietary cutting-edge platform technology with the potential to become a game changer in immuno-oncology.
CanVirex and Heidelberg University Hospital have signed a strategic collaboration agreement for the research and clinical development of measles-vectored therapeutics. The Heidelberg University Hospital offers a unique infrastructure for swift clinical translation of our most promising drug candidates. CanVirex has also forged strategic collaborations with key industry partners for GMP manufacturing and commercialization of our products.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Guy Ungerechts, the scientific founder of the company, has dedicated his scientific carreer to explore virus-based cancer therapeutics. Dr. Ungerechts and his scientific team at the Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center provide extensive technology know-how, which is required for safe and successful clinical development.
Spotlight
Head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Virotherapy at the German Cancer Research Center
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Deputy Director of the Medical Oncology Department at the Heidelberg University Hospital and National Center for Tumor Diseases.
Selected Publications
- Speck T, Heidbuechel JPW, Veinalde R, Jaeger D, von Kalle C, Ball CR, Ungerechts G, Engeland CE. Targeted BiTE expression by an oncolytic vector augments therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors. Clinical Cancer Research, 2018.
- Veinalde R, Grossardt C, Hartmann L, Bourgeois-Daigneault MC, Bell JC, Jäger D, von Kalle C, Ungerechts G, Engeland CE. Oncolytic measles virus encoding interleukin-12 mediates potent antitumor effects through T cell activation. OncoImmunology, 2017.
- Hajda J, Lehmann M, Krebs O, Kieser M, Geletneky K, Jäger D, Dahm M, Huber B, Schöning T, Sedlaczek O, Stenzinger A, Halama N, Daniel V, Leuchs B, Angelova A, Rommelaere J, Engeland CE, Springfeld C, Ungerechts G. A non-controlled, single arm, open label, phase II study of intravenous and intratumoral administration of ParvOryx in patients with metastatic, inoperable pancreatic cancer: ParvOryx02 protocol. BMC Cancer, 2017.
- Engeland CE, Grossardt C, Veinalde R, Bossow S, Lutz D, Kaufmann JK, Shevchenko I, Umansky V, Nettelbeck DM, Weichert W, Jäger D, von Kalle C, Ungerechts G. CTLA-4 and PD-L1 checkpoint blockade enhances oncolytic measles virus therapy. Mol Ther, 2014.