Oncolytics Biotech and PrECOG collaborate to study metastatic breast cancer

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Oct 22 2019

Oncolytics Biotech^® Inc. , currently developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus, and PrECOG LLC, a leading cancer research network, today announced their collaboration in which PrECOG will run the BRACELET-1 (PrE0113) study. The principal investigator will be Kathy Miller, MD, Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Research at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, and PrECOG member. The study will take place in 15 centers in the United States and will evaluate the ability of pelareorep to make tumors immunologically visible to checkpoint inhibitors.

We're very excited to be working with PrECOG on the BRACELET-1 study focused on hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer patients, our target patient population. Our goal in this study is to confirm our biomarker of T cell clonality in order to predictively and prognostically select patients for the phase three study, as well as to demonstrate that pelareorep sensitizes the tumor to immunotherapy and improves clinical outcomes. By creating an immunogenic tumor environment with pelareorep, we can potentially increase the efficacy of checkpoint blockade and treat more patients with this novel treatment combination. This important study, along with our ongoing AWARE-1 trial, will help determine the design of the phase three registrational program for pelareorep in metastatic breast cancer, which we expect may involve combination therapy with a checkpoint inhibitor."

Rita Laeufle, Chief Medical Officer at Oncolytics Biotech

"We in PrECOG are excited to be investigating this novel approach to breast cancer treatment, and to bring cutting edge options to our patients," said Peter O' Dwyer, MD, Chief Executive Officer, PrECOG, and Co-Chair, ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group. "Approaches to increase the activity of these immunologically active agents are a focus of our research and studies like this have the potential to be relevant to these mechanisms across many tumor types."

PrECOG has multiple trials in the immuno-oncology space. "Immunotherapy remains in its infancy in the treatment of breast cancer. The potential for pelareorep to extend the benefits of immunotherapy to patients with hormone-sensitive disease could be a real advantage for patients," said Dr. Miller.

The BRACELET-1 (PrE0113) study seeks to replicate a previous trial that supported an advantage in overall survival through the use of pelareorep in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer. It is being designed as a phase 2, three-arm, 48-patient open-label study for second-line treatment in these patients. The first arm will be paclitaxel alone, the second arm will be paclitaxel plus pelareorep, and the third arm will be paclitaxel plus pelareorep, plus the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, avelumab.

The design is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks with input from Oncolytics' co-development partners Pfizer and Merck KGaA. It will then go to the FDA for review. The study is anticipated to begin enrollment in Q1 2020.