AlloVir Secures $120M Funding to Advance Allogeneic T-Cell Therapies Against Viral Infections

AlloVir, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing T-cell therapies for several common viruses, was officially established and secured $120 million in financing.

AlloVir, formerly known as ViraCyte, is developing therapies to restore T-cell immunity in immunocompromised patients, including those who have undergone stem cell or solid organ transplantation. Its pipeline is based on technology from the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine and includes two allogeneic T-cell therapies targeting multiple viruses. Unlike traditional T-cell therapies, which involve extracting and modifying a patient’s own T cells, allogeneic therapies utilize donor T cells. This approach enables industrial-scale manufacturing and significantly reduces production costs.

Dr. Ann Leen, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of AlloVir, stated that patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation or those with primary immunodeficiency who develop infections must take antiviral medications. These drugs target viruses but do not bolster the weakened immune system, and they can cause kidney damage. Dr. Leen is also a Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

AlloVir’s cell therapy is allogeneic, meaning the T cells are derived from third-party donors. Dr. Leen stated, “We draw blood from donors whose T cells have been exposed to viruses, which train the cells to recognize and attack the same viruses in different individuals.” AlloVir expands these cells in the laboratory to develop antiviral therapies.

Dr. Leen added, “We culture the immune system in vitro to manage these patients, thereby controlling infection.”

Dr. Leen stated that, unlike other T-cell therapies, AlloVir does not use genetic engineering to modify T cells. Instead, it employs a screening process similar to that used for identifying bone marrow donors to find donors whose T cells have been exposed to the appropriate viruses. Dr. Leen noted that after the T cells are expanded in the laboratory, they undergo further screening to ensure their safety for patient use.

AlloVir’s R&D Pipeline (Image source: AlloVir official website)

AlloVir’s lead investigational cell therapy, Viralym-M, has been evaluated in a Phase 2 study involving 38 patients. According to publicly available data, 92% of patients responded to the treatment. The therapy is effective against five viruses: BK virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human herpesvirus. Following treatment, two cases of graft-versus-host disease, a complication that can occur after stem cell transplantation, were resolved.

Dr. David Hallal, CEO of AlloVir, stated that Allovir would initiate Phase 3 clinical trials in 2020 for bone marrow transplant patients suffering from hemorrhagic cystitis, inflammation, and bladder bleeding, which may be caused by anticancer drugs, radiation therapy, infections, or exposure to dyes or pesticides. He noted that Phase 2 data supported the further advancement of Allovir’s cell therapy approach, and therefore other programs in the company’s pipeline would also be advanced into mid-stage studies.

This round of financing was led by Fidelity Management and Research Company, with participation from Gilead Sciences, F2 Ventures, Redmile Group, Invus, EcoR1 Capital, Samsara BioCapital, and the Leerink Partners Co-Investment Fund.

References:

[1] With $120M, AlloVir Faces Big Test of Cell Therapy to Fight Infection Retrieved on May 23 2019 from https://xconomy.com/texas/2019/05/22/with-120m-allovir-faces-big-test-of-cell-therapy-to-fight-infection/

[2] Biotech builder ElevateBio reveals its first portfolio company: AlloVir Retrieved on May 23 2019 from https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/biotech-builder-elevatebio-reveals-its-first-portfolio-company-allovir

[3] AlloVir website retrieved on May 23 2019 fromhttps://www.allovir.com/