Helsinki-based TILT Biotherapeutics receives USD 2 million for ovarian cancer immunotherapy research

Helsinki-based TILT Biotherapeutics is recognised as one of the rising superstars of oncolytic immunotherapy. Established in 2013 as a spin-out from the University of Helsinki, the company has successfully raised over 40 million euros in funding over the years.

Recently, TILT announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to receive a USD 2 million grant for a three-year project focused on the treatment of ovarian cancer. This DOD-funded project aims to evaluate the safety and signs of efficacy of TILT-123, the company’s leading therapeutic asset, in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer.

“We’re delighted to have been selected to receive our first U.S grant. Working closely with the Mayo Clinic, it will support our efforts to unleash the full potential of oncolytic adenoviruses in treating ovarian cancer. We designed TILT-123 to improve the response rates in those many patients that are not responsive to current treatments. Our international clinical trials are progressing well through Phase I, and this significant grant is another key step in progressing these new therapies to reach patients in this high unmet medical need”, says TILT Biotherapeutics’ founder and CEO Akseli Hemminki.