VCN Biosciencies is a spin-off of the Catalan Institute of Oncology-Biomedical Research Institute of Bellvitge (ICO-IDIBELL) that is devoted to the innovative field of virotherapy, specifically in administering genetically modified viruses to destroy tumor cells.
CEO of VCN Biosciences, Dr. Manel Cascalló, explained that the company aims to “develop and increase the value of virotherapy and its technology in order to create a finished product that can be sold to large multinational pharmaceutical companies, who will be the ones to market it.”
So far, in 2008, this young company patented an isolated mutation of an oncolytic virus (T1 mutation) that not only eliminates cancerous cells but also generates thousands of copies of itself to destroy neighboring malignant cells. This achievement has attracted the attention of a number of biotech companies, including ORCA Therapeutics in Amsterdam, which has sublicensed the technology to include in their products.
VCN Biosciences was created with private investment, including that of the founders -Dr. Ramon Alemany, Dr. Manel Cascalló and Dr. Gabriel Capellà. It has also received support from ICO, "which has given us preferential treatment in technology transfer, which is essential to externalizing research and production from the Institute’s laboratories.”
In the near future this company will move into their new headquarters, surely to be located in one of Barcelona’s science parks, “in order to carry out phase I clinical trials in a few years.” The company is currently located in Gelida.