Oncolytic virus combinations move beyond checkpoint inhibitors

Oncolytic viruses were a standout modality at the SITC 2022 conference thanks to an efficacy boost from combinations with checkpoint inhibitors, while the conference also showcased a variety of other combination partners that could represent the modality’s next frontiers.

Among the companies in the spotlight at Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2022 was CG Oncology Inc., which presented Phase II data from its CG0070 oncolytic virus in combination with Keytruda pembrolizumab from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK). Days after the SITC presentation, CG announced it raised $120 million in an oversubscribed series E financing...