On September 4, SillaJen announced that it had presented the research achievements of its core platform technology, the "GEEV® (Genetically Engineered Enveloped Virus) Platform," at the "2025 Oncolytic Virus Symposium."
This symposium was an academic event on oncolytic viruses led by Lee Wangjun, Chairman of Myongji Medical Foundation and Myongji Hospital (also President of the Asia Oncolytic Virus Association). Researchers and industry professionals in the field of oncolytic viruses participated to share the latest research findings.
The presentation, titled "GEEV® Platform Technology: A New Breakthrough in Oncolytic Virus Therapy," was delivered by Dr. Oh Geunhee, Head of SillaJen Research Center. Oncolytic viruses have been highlighted as next-generation cancer therapies that directly destroy cancer cells and activate the immune system. However, they face structural limitations, such as a rapid decline in efficacy due to complement reactions and the formation of neutralizing antibodies when administered intravenously.
SillaJen’s GEEV® Platform is designed to overcome these challenges simultaneously. By expressing the complement regulatory protein CD55 on the surface of the vaccinia virus IMV (Intracellular Mature Virion), the platform evades complement attacks in the body and suppresses the action of neutralizing antibodies that occur with repeated administration.
SillaJen’s "SJ-600 Series," developed using this platform, demonstrated a stronger anticancer effect with intravenous administration compared to direct intratumoral injection in preclinical studies. It is being evaluated as the first oncolytic virus platform that allows repeated intravenous administration without a decrease in efficacy. SillaJen has secured domestic and international patents for the "SJ-600 Series" and is currently proceeding with the CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) process for large-scale virus production.
Through these efforts, the company aims to expand the indications for oncolytic viruses from existing local tumors to metastatic and deep-seated tumors, further enhancing the commercial viability of oncolytic virus therapies.
Dr. Oh Geunhee stated, "The GEEV® Platform is an innovative technology that simultaneously solves the biggest challenges in oncolytic virus therapy" and added, "We expect it to present a new paradigm in the field of oncolytic viruses." Meanwhile, SillaJen’s research team is preparing a paper on the preclinical research results of the GEEV® Platform in collaboration with Professor Lee Dongseok’s team at Seoul National University College of Medicine, which will be released through a global academic journal.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
