Next Generation
Viral Immunotherapies
ABOUT US
3io Therapeutics is a Toronto-based biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialisation of the next generation of viral immunotherapies for cancer.
3io is currently developing a novel viral immunotherapy based on bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), a virus that naturally infects cattle but is non-pathogenic in humans. 3io is committed to accelerating its development as a new therapeutic platform to improve treatment responses and outcomes for hard-to-treat cancers, including those with KRAS-mutations.
TECHNOLOGY
BHV-1 is a novel viral immunotherapy with unexpected and
highly advantageous properties
Broad anti-tumor efficacy, including against KRAS-mutated tumors
Strong efficacy in preclinical studies
Immuno-stimulating mechanism of action
Efficacy does not rely on viral replication and direct tumor lysis
Potential for IV delivery
In vivo efficacy despite presence of neutralising antibodies
Excellent safety profile
Virus is non-pathogenic in humans
Potential as a monotherapy with minimal genetic engineering
Cassetted payload insertion
also possible
Boosts checkpoint inhibitor efficacy
Strong boost to efficacy seen in preclinical studies
TEAM
MICHAEL TUSCHE, PhD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Mike has over 20 years of experience as a scientist, investor, entrepreneur and leader in the biopharmaceutical sector. He brings to 3io an extensive track record of success in both the preclinical and clinical development of oncology and neuroscience therapeutics across multiple modalities and platforms. Prior to 3io, Dr. Tusche was the Co-CEO of Treadwell Therapeutics, a clinical stage company developing a multi-modality pipeline of first in class medicines for hard to treat solid and hematologic malignancies. Dr. Tusche was also the Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Nirsum Laboratories, Inc., a company engaged in the clinical development of small molecule therapeutics for Neuroscience indications. At Nirsum, Michael was the co-inventor of the company’s foundational Intellectual Property and a Principal Investigator of an NIH/NIDA grant, funding the company’s operations through early-stage clinical studies. Prior to Nirsum, Michael was the Senior Analyst at Mountain Brook Capital Management, LLC, a Healthcare focused Long/Short equity only Hedge Fund, where his focus was Investments in publicly listed Biopharmaceutical companies. Before Mountain Brook, Dr. Tusche was an Associate at MLV and Co., a boutique investment bank with a focus on capital raising and advisory work for Life Science based companies. Dr. Tusche also led Biologic drug discovery at the Campbell Family Institute at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, where he managed a multidisciplinary R&D team in the pre-clinical development and validation of novel drug candidates for oncology, autoimmunity and inflammation. Michael started his career as a Scientist in drug discovery at Bayer AG in Japan, where he worked on early-stage development of small molecule GPCR antagonists for allergic and inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Tusche received his B.Sc. (with Distinction) in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria. He also received a Ph.D. in Immunology and M.B.A. from the University of Toronto. He is co-author on several peer-reviewed publications, the recipient of numerous scientific and business awards, and named inventor on issued US patents focusing on small molecule and biologic therapeutics.
PENG FU, MSc, JD
Co-Founder and Director
Peng is a life sciences entrepreneur and investor with operational, legal, IP, financing and deal origination expertise developed at leading firms. Peng founded 3io Therapeutics in 2020 following roles in healthcare investment for both Fosun and CBC Group as a Managing Director. In 2015 Peng founded Novatio Ventures, a company specialising in the incubation of novel biopharma technologies. Prior to founding Novatio, Peng was Vice President, Business Development at DRI Capital, a leading life sciences private equity firm with more than US$3B of assets under management. Peng was responsible for biotech investment origination and acquisitions at DRI Capital and was a key contributor to the structuring and formation of Drug Royalty III, the firm's US$1.45B third managed fund. Prior to joining DRI Capital, Peng was Director and Senior Counsel at Amgen and served as the general counsel and a member of the senior management team of the company's Canadian affiliate. Previous to Amgen, Peng was Director of Legal Affairs at Teva, where he devised, implemented, and managed successful IP and regulatory strategies to realize first-to-market opportunities.
Peng began his career as an attorney at Gilbertʼs LLP, a biopharmaceutical focused boutique law firm, and then at Torys LLP, as a member of its life sciences and intellectual property practices. Peng holds an MSc in molecular biology and evolutionary ecology from the University of Toronto and a JD from Queenʼs University. He is fluent in Mandarin.
SANDY DER, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Sandy is an accomplished researcher in innate immunity, genomics and oncology with both academic and industry leadership experience. Sandy was previously Scientific Associate at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University Health Network where he studied the genomic and molecular pathology of lung cancers and worked on the development of novel immunotherapies for treating lung cancer and leukemia. In this capacity, Sandy co-invented prognostic, multi-gene classifiers for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer currently being commercialized by Helomics (Pittsburg, PA). Previously, Sandy was Director of Research at GeneNews, a Toronto-based biotechnology firm, where he was involved in the development of blood-based molecular assays for several cancers. Prior to this, Sandy was Assistant Professor at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto where his lab was among the early adopters using genomic technologies to study human diseases including host immune responses to viral infections and cancer pathology.
Sandy completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Cancer Biology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He earned his PhD in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto studying host responses to HIV infection, and his BSc from the same institution in microbiology.
BEN WALKER, MBA
Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer
Ben is a global biopharma business development professional who has been strategic advisor to leading companies, institutions and start-ups. Ben previously ran business development for a U.S. technology accelerator, ACTUS Biotechnologies, where he played an integral role in strategic partnering for certain transdermal and tumor-targeting technologies licensed from UCSB and Sanford Burnham by its portfolio companies, Convoy and EnduRx. Since 2005, Ben has run a consulting firm, Nexanova Ltd, and worked on over 40 business development and licensing projects covering oncology, cardiovascular disease, neurology, dermatology and infectious diseases for leading bio-pharma clients in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Switzerland, China and Korea. He has also worked closely with universities and their spin-off companies, including University of Toronto, Western, HKUST, CUHK, SNU, and Yonsei.
Prior to entering the bio-pharma industry, Ben was China Business Development Manager for the animal nutrition division of Associated British Foods plc, where he specialized in acquisitions and set up two joint ventures in China. Ben holds an MA (Hons) degree in Chinese and Japanese from Edinburgh University and an MBA from Manchester Business School. He is fluent in Mandarin.