VACV-ATF6(N): The tumour-killer virus
Advantages
- Enhanced antitumor immune activation: promotes immunogenic cell death, increasing tumor antigen release and presentation and supporting a stronger adaptive antitumor immune response.
- Improved tumor selectivity: thymidine kinase deletion restricts viral replication preferentially to tumor cells, supporting a safer therapeutic profile.
- Differentiated oncolytic platform: combines the tumor-killing capacity of vaccinia virus with UPR/ATF6-driven immune stimulation, potentially turning infected tumors into an in-situ vaccine.
Goal
The group is looking for a license agreement, but other collaborations may be considered.
Patent
International Patent Application (July 2025)
Reference
UBTT0528-E
Contact
Rosa Vázquez Fresno
Email: rvazquez@fbg.ub.edu
VACV-ATF6(N): The tumour-killer virus
Executive summary
A research group, with wide experience on immunno-oncology, has engineered a virus that selectively replicates in cancer cells while actively stimulating anti-tumour immunity.
Introduction
Solid tumors account for ~90% of all cancer patients, being ~17M new diagnoses each year worldwide. The efficacy of immunotherapies is limited by tumor-driven immune evasion mechanisms.
Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common cancer globally. As of 2026, the global CRC therapeutics market is valued at $14.25 billion. This market is driven by rising incidence rates and a significant shift toward immunotherapy, which is projected to grow at a 14.21% CAGR through 2031.
While CRC is our lead indication, our oncolytic platform is designed for expansion into other high-growth solid tumor markets such as pancreatic cancer and RRC.
Description
Engineered vaccinia virus (VACV) expressing ATF6(N) to hyperactivate the unfolded protein response (UPR) in infected cells, promoting immunogenic cell death (ICD).
ICD enhances tumor antigen release and presentation, triggering potent adaptative antitumor immune response.
Thymidine kinase (TK) deletion restricts viral replication to tumor cells.
Current stage of development
There is an ongoing development plan to perform the in vivo proof of concept.