Vira Therapeutics

Vira Therapeutics GmbH operates as a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oncolytic virus-based immunotherapies for cancer treatment. The firm was established in April 2013 as a spin-out from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.

The company was founded by Professor Dr. Dorothee von Laer, a medical doctor and internationally recognized biomedical researcher who also invented the core VSV-GP technology. Dr. von Laer's extensive background in virology, including her role as head of the Virology Institute at the Medical University of Innsbruck, directly shaped the company's scientific foundation. Her entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding a previous biotech company, Vision7 GmbH, in 2000. The founding team also included Dr. Ludwig Weiss.

Vira Therapeutics is centered on its proprietary oncolytic virus platform, VSV-GP (Vesicular Stomatitis Virus with modified glycoprotein). This technology utilizes a chimeric virus engineered to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. The core of the business model was to advance this platform through preclinical and clinical development, targeting pharmaceutical partners for collaboration and licensing. The technology has a dual mode of action: direct killing of cancer cells (oncolysis) and stimulating the patient's immune system to recognize and attack the tumor. A key differentiator of the VSV-GP platform is its design to evade the host's immune system, which may allow for repeated administrations, a challenge for other oncolytic virus therapies.

The company's primary client base consists of larger pharmaceutical firms in the oncology space. This strategy culminated in a significant partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim in August 2016, which included co-development funding and an option to acquire. Following promising preclinical results, Boehringer Ingelheim exercised this option in September 2018, acquiring Vira Therapeutics for a total transaction value of 210 million euros. Post-acquisition, Vira Therapeutics continues to operate as a distinct unit within Boehringer Ingelheim's Discovery Research organization in Innsbruck, maintaining its research focus and ties to the local scientific community.

Keywords: oncolytic virotherapy, cancer immunotherapy, VSV-GP, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, biopharmaceutical, oncology, cancer treatment, immuno-oncology, viral therapy, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dorothee von Laer, Medical University of Innsbruck, tumor-destroying virus, chimeric virus, preclinical development, clinical trials, cancer research, targeted therapy, immunogenic cell death, drug development