Oncolytic Viral Immunotherapies for Cancer

Candel Therapeutics is focused on developing innovative viral immunotherapies designed to elicit individualized responses against cancer. Their primary product candidates, CAN-2409 and CAN-3110, utilize genetically modified adenoviruses and herpes simplex viruses (HSV), respectively. CAN-2409 is an adenoviral construct that encodes the thymidine kinase gene from HSV, allowing for localized injection into tumors. This method aims to minimize systemic toxicity while inducing immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, thereby activating a robust immune response. CAN-3110, on the other hand, is a replication-competent HSV engineered for selective replication in high-grade glioma cells, sparing healthy cells. This specificity is achieved by controlling the viral replication through the Nestin promoter, which is predominantly expressed in aggressive tumor cells.

Candel's enLIGHTEN™ Discovery Platform further enhances their therapeutic development by employing a systematic, data-driven approach to create new HSV-based gene constructs. This platform focuses on understanding the tumor microenvironment and tailoring viral immunotherapies to modulate tumor biology effectively. By leveraging proprietary HSV vectors and advanced analytics, Candel aims to develop multi-gene viral payloads that can address the complexities of various solid tumors. Their approach not only seeks to improve the efficacy of existing treatments but also aims to create a new class of viral immunotherapy candidates that are personalized for specific cancer indications and stages.

United States

At Candel Therapeutics, we are developing immunotherapies that induce immunogenic cell death in cancer cells at the site of injection, unmasking tumor neo-antigens within an activated microenvironment. This process leads to a systemic, durable immune response against the tumor, with the potential to change disease outcomes across a variety of indications.
Candel’s products are designed to improve survival while maintaining quality of life – from early- to late-stage disease.

Cancer

Candel Therapeutics

Intermediate/high-risk Prostate cancer

Solid tumor/s

<p class="font_7">CAN-2409, Candel’s most advanced oncolytic viral immunotherapy &nbsp;product candidate, is a replication-deficient adenoviral gene construct &nbsp;encoding the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene. HSV-tk &nbsp;is an enzyme that locally converts orally administered valacyclovir &nbsp;into a toxic metabolite that kills nearby cancer cells. Intra-tumoral &nbsp;administration results in immunogenic cell death, followed by the &nbsp;release of tumor-specific neoantigens in the tumor microenvironment. At &nbsp;the same time, the adenoviral vector elicits a strong pro-inflammatory &nbsp;signal to the tumor microenvironment, creating the optimal conditions to &nbsp;induce a specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cell-mediated immune response &nbsp;against the injected tumor and the uninjected distant metastases. This &nbsp;dual mechanism of antigen unmasking and immune activation may enable &nbsp;CAN-2409 to generate a powerful and lasting attack against a variety of &nbsp;the patient’s tumor-associated neoantigens, minimizing the possibility &nbsp;for immune escape and development of tolerance.</p>

CAN-2409 

Low-to-intermediate-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer

CAN-2409

Lung cancer

Non-small cell lung carcinoma

<p class="font_8">CAN-2409, Candel’s most advanced oncolytic viral immunotherapy &nbsp;product candidate, is a replication-deficient adenoviral gene construct &nbsp;encoding the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene. HSV-tk &nbsp;is an enzyme that locally converts orally administered valacyclovir &nbsp;into a toxic metabolite that kills nearby cancer cells. Intra-tumoral &nbsp;administration results in immunogenic cell death, followed by the &nbsp;release of tumor-specific neoantigens in the tumor microenvironment. At &nbsp;the same time, the adenoviral vector elicits a strong pro-inflammatory &nbsp;signal to the tumor microenvironment, creating the optimal conditions to &nbsp;induce a specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cell-mediated immune response &nbsp;against the injected tumor and the uninjected distant metastases. This &nbsp;dual mechanism of antigen unmasking and immune activation may enable &nbsp;CAN-2409 to generate a powerful and lasting attack against a variety of &nbsp;the patient’s tumor-associated neoantigens, minimizing the possibility &nbsp;for immune escape and development of tolerance.</p>

Candel Therapeutics

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