TILT was founded on the unique discovery that oncolytic adenoviruses potently stimulate T-cell responses in humans. Our lead programme was designed by leveraging insights gained by our scientific founders from studies in 290 patients using 10 different prototype oncolytic viruses.
Therapeutic approach
Our intravenous therapeutic approach centers around the use of armed oncolytic adenoviruses, engineered to enable T cells and the patient’s own immune system to search out and destroy cancer cells, of all tumor types. This approach provides a solution to synergistically boost the effectiveness of other immuno-oncology strategies, such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), immune checkpoint inhibitors, or CAR T therapies. Development strategy focuses on ovarian and lung cancers, as well as melanoma and thrives the lead candidate towards Phase II.
TILT’s viruses - engineered to be potent, targeted and safe.
Our viruses have been designed to include:
- Transgenes that code for potent cytokine molecules that are responsible for boosting the body’s immune response.
- Universal double cancer selectivity feature which prevents replication in ordinary cells, providing a high level of patient safety for systemic and local use.
- A chimeric capsid for efficient entry into cancer cells.
Advantages of using adenoviruses as cancer immunotherapies
Whilst various virus types have been used in immunotherapy by several companies, adenoviruses have several class advantages over other viruses with oncolytic potential.
- Adenoviruses can be manufactured at high-titer, as homogeneous drug batches, are more stable than RNA viruses and can be easier to store.
- Adenoviral vectors have been used safely in clinical trials with thousands of participants.
Patents
The company has a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio including patents covering the fundamentals of its novel oncolytic virus technology, such as product compositions and method of treatment.
Pipeline
We have multiple best-in-class oncolytic viral therapies in our pipeline, our lead therapeutic asset, TILT-123, is a cytokine armed oncolytic adenovirus that is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials in combination with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy in Europe.
Publications
Professor Hemminki has authored nearly 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts or book chapters on cancer research and oncolytic viruses.
Partners
Our pioneering approach has been recognized by industry leaders including Germany’s Merck KGaA and MSD (a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc.).