Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (CLDI) has announced that its abstract highlighting the development of its RTNova systemic virotherapy platform has been accepted for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, scheduled for April 25-30, 2025, in Chicago, IL. The presentation will focus on the platform's potential to revolutionize the treatment of metastatic cancers by enabling targeted systemic delivery to multiple tumor sites, overcoming rapid elimination by the body’s immune system.
The RTNova platform is designed to address the challenges associated with treating advanced-stage metastatic cancers, including lung cancer, where intratumoral administration is not feasible. Calidi has engineered a novel vaccinia virus strain enveloped with a human cell membrane, referred to as an extracellular enveloped virus (EEV). This enveloping strategy protects the virus while it targets distant tumors. Upon reaching the tumor, the virus induces a robust response from the patient’s immune cells, potentially leading to a more durable therapeutic effect.
Overcoming Metastatic Cancer Treatment Barriers
Metastatic cancers, characterized by their ability to spread from the primary site to distant organs, represent a significant challenge in oncology. Current treatment modalities often struggle to effectively target and eradicate these disseminated tumors, contributing to the high mortality rates associated with advanced-stage disease. The RTNova platform seeks to address these limitations by providing a means of systemically delivering therapeutic payloads directly to metastatic sites.
Mechanism of Action
The RTNova platform leverages a unique approach to virotherapy, utilizing an enveloped vaccinia virus to selectively target and destroy cancer cells. The human cell membrane enveloping the virus serves multiple critical functions:
- Immune Evasion: The envelope helps shield the virus from the host's immune system, allowing it to circulate and reach distant tumor sites.
- Targeted Delivery: The modified virus is designed to preferentially target cancer cells, minimizing off-target effects on healthy tissues.
- Immune Stimulation: Once the virus reaches the tumor, it triggers a potent immune response, further enhancing its therapeutic efficacy.
Future Directions
In addition to the AACR presentation, Calidi intends to submit an abstract for the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2025, where it plans to unveil further key data related to the RTNova platform. This presentation will highlight the company's progress toward selecting a lead clinical candidate for RTNova, marking a significant step forward in its development pathway. Calidi's ongoing clinical and preclinical efforts in localized and intratumoral cell-based virotherapies with SNV (SuperNova) and NNV (NeuroNova) further demonstrate its commitment to revolutionizing cancer treatment.
Allan Camaisa, CEO and Chairman of Calidi Biotherapeutics, stated, "Our acceptance to present at AACR underscores the transformative potential of our systemic virotherapy platform. We are proud to share our pioneering research on the RTNova systemic virotherapy platform, which has the potential to redefine how metastatic cancers are treated and significantly improve outcomes for patients facing advanced-stage disease."
