Potential for regional tuberculosis vaccines, novel personalized cancer vaccines, and improving checkpoint inhibition therapy
University of Helsinki and a spinout-company from the University of Helsinki, Valo Therapeutics Limited (Valo Tx) , announced today that Valo Tx acquires the intellectual property rights for the proprietary ´PeptiBAC´technology from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Valo Tx is the developer of novel, adaptable immunotherapy platforms for cancer and infectious diseases. University of Helsinki owns 21% of Valo Tx.
PeptiBAC uses the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guèrin) vaccine as a backbone for delivery of disease specific peptides. The technology has preventative potential in infectious diseases, specifically tuberculosis (TB, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)), as well therapeutic potential in cancer. The BGC vaccine, one of the earliest immunotherapies, has been widely used globally for decades. It is safe and well tolerated, with over 100m doses dispensed a year. PeptiBAC builds on this immunotherapy heritage to drive a robust T cell immune response against new strains of TB by targeting multiple disease-specific antigens simultaneously.