Vyriad, Inc. announced today the addition of new clinical sites in its ongoing clinical study evaluating an intravesical oncolytic measles virus therapy in bladder cancer patients scheduled for radical cystectomy (bladder removal surgery). This clinical trial was developed with the lead principal investigator Dr. Bradley Leibovich, Chair of the Department of Urology at Mayo Clinic, and is now open at three sites: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN; Ochsner Health in New Orleans, LA; and University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami FL.

Vyriad’s oncolytic measles virus (MV-NIS) is designed to target cancer cells without harming healthy cells. MV-NIS selectively infects and kills cancer cells, releasing tumor antigens and inflammatory cytokines that trigger a robust systemic and tumor-specific immune response. Vyriad received a fast-track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute to advance this new treatment for bladder cancer patients with assistance from Minnesota’s SBIR Assistance Program.

“Based on previous clinical experience in other cancer indications, we believe that MV-NIS has the potential to reduce disease recurrence or progression following radical cystectomy,” said Stephen Russell, M.D., Ph.D., Vyriad President, and Chief Executive Officer. “If proven efficacious, we would envision future trials investigating MV-NIS for other bladder cancer patients including non-muscle invasive disease.”

The primary objective of this pilot 16-patient study is to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of intravesical MV-NIS treatment in patients with relapsed bladder cancer who are undergoing bladder removal and are not eligible or do not want chemotherapy.

About Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the urinary bladder begin to grow uncontrollably. Urothelial carcinoma, the most common type of bladder cancer, starts in the urothelial cells that line the inside of the bladder. In 2020, approximately 81,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with bladder cancer and 18,000 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

About Vyriad, Inc.
Vyriad is a clinical-stage company developing virus-based therapeutics, focusing on proprietary oncolytic virus therapies for the treatment of cancers with significant unmet needs, and now a virus-based assay to support the fight against COVID-19. Founded by scientists at Mayo Clinic and the University of Miami, Vyriad programs viruses to selectively attack cancer cells, thereby igniting antitumor immune responses that can complete the process of tumor destruction and prevent disease recurrence.

Our lead platforms, derived from either vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or measles virus, are being evaluated in ongoing Phase 1-2 clinical trials addressing multiple cancer types. Vyriad and Regeneron have a broad strategic agreement for the discovery and development of new oncolytic virus treatments for cancer leveraging Vyriad’s VSV platform and the PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo® (cemiplimab), being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi, as well as its unmatched antibody discovery capabilities. Vyriad is a privately held company based in Rochester, Minnesota.