Virttu Biologics Ltd.
Harnessing the herpes virus to combat cancer
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Despite a long history of disappointments, many experts now agree that viral therapy of cancer could soon become a reality. Accumulating clinical evidence indicates that researchers have figured out how to modify and enhance viruses in ways that make them both safe and effective. For its part, Virttu Biologics Ltd. is developing a single-deletion variant of HSV it calls SEPREHVIR. Research carried out at Virttu, as well as at the University of Glasgow where the core technology was developed, shows that the mutated virus is taken up by and remains in tumor tissue, without infecting surrounding healthy tissue.