With Imugene moving deeper and deeper into their Oncolytic Virus (OV) trials for CF33 and Vaxinia market interest in their soon to be published Oncarlytics pre clinical data is growing. This data could open “pandoras box” as it were for existing CAR T providers who up until now have been unable to effectively treat solid tumours. CAR T providers who at present are restricted to treating certain types of blood cancers.

As you are aware from my article of last week CAR-T therapy is the type of immunotherapy in which T-cells are taken from a cancer patient’s blood then modified in a lab with the addition of a special protein receptor that grants T-cells the power to recognize as well as kill cancer cells easily, along with infusing the same back into that patient. This special protein receptor, known as the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), attaches to a specific protein on a patient’scancer cells. The infused cells multiply and prevail in the patient’s body as living drugs (See the diagram herein courtesy of cancer.gov)

The global CAR-T therapy market is expected to grow to $3.55 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5%.

CAR -T providers are cashed up and looking for ways to broaden their own market share. Imugene’s oncolytic viruses in combination with CD19 have much to offer them. For whilst CAR - T therapy is cutting edge cancer treatment therapy its failure to treat other types of cancer, the resultant side effects upon treatment, and the high cost of this treatment, restrict the growth of existing providers. Currently CAR-T therapy is predominantly used to treat leukemia, strands of lymphoma and multiple myeloma. As an example existing CAR - T therapy fails to treat lung and breast cancers, the very cancers Imugene is currently looking to treat in their existing clinical trials. CF33 (i.e., currently trialling at the City of Hope with Triple Negative Breast Cancer - TNBC patients) had the ability to treat close to if not all cancer lines pre clinically. Therefore CF33/Vaxinia could fill the void or gap in the market currently unattainable and out of reach as it were from existing CAR T suppliers. And with the cost of CAR - T treatment being up to $375,000 USD per patient, the ability of CF33 and Vaxinia to reduce the need for a prolonged and ongoing expensive treatment program would be even more attractive to leading CAR - T companies, currently restricted by their ability to deliver a cost effective solution for cancer patients.

Video courtesy of Imugene


Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the solid tumors market was valued at USD 209.61 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 901.27 billion by 2029, registering a CAGR of 20.0% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029.

IF successful in their existing CF33/Vaxinia trials Imugene could potentially attract the likes of major CAR -T therapy players including Novartis AG, Kite Pharma, Pfizer Inc, Juno Therapeutics, Celgene Corporation, CARsgen Therapeutics, Sorrento Therapeutics, Legend Biotech, Mustang Bio, and Immune Therapeutics. Were Imugene to license their Oncarlytics platform (i.e., including either CF33 or Vaxinia with their CD19 targeted therapy) they would be sure to attract interest from all players. Particularly if Imugene’s Oncarlytics combination therapies with Eureka Therapeutics and Celularity enable the medicine to be available in an “off the shelf” style product that is readily accessible, easier to administer and more cost effective than CAR -T medicine in it’s current format. Not to mention the advantages a safe and non toxic drug such as CF33 would provide in countering the side effects resultant from existing CAR - T medication.

Cohort 3 of Triple Negative Breast Cancer patients at the City of Hope in the US have already been dosed with CF33. Imugene can soon move with the FDA’s approval to treat a further 12 patients at the Optimal Biological Dose later this year. An update on patients in Cohort 1 and 2 from the existing CF33 trial is soon to be announced. From all accounts even at low doses the clinical trial is echoing the strong results Professor Fong attained pre clinically. With this in mind license deals, partnership arrangements or even takeover offers for Imugene (IMU) may be closer than many had envisaged. Up until now analysts have had their eye on Imugene’s B cell trials assuming that as they were later stage than the OV trials, they would attract the first in line suitors. However given a Phase 2 registrational trial for CF33 may circumvent the need for lengthy Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials for the drug, the tipping point for Big Pharma may be closer to the horizon than initially thought. With CAR T license fees added into the equation, Imugene’s oncolytic virus in conjunction with their CD19 Oncarlytics platform may prove too tasty for them to ignore. Why wait to climb the tree when the low hanging fruit is much easier to reach in the interim?

There is little or no value placed on Imugenes Oncarlytics platform by existing analysts such as Roth and Noble Capital. Their IMU annual price targets of .71 US cents and .50 US cents respectively exclude this potential goldmine. Therefore much is riding on IMU announcements in the forthcoming months. The results of the CF33/Vaxinia trials may be just the beginning for IMU. The addition of an Oncarlytis/CD19 treatment arm adds more than just another string to the company’s bow. It affords them the opportunity to obtain significant license fees and revenue for years to come from leading CAR T providers who are desperate to remove the existing chinks in their chain.

DYOR and make your own investment decisions - Seek investment advice as and where necessary - Opinions Only