Release Therapeutics Grants Exclusive License for MVX-ONCO to Geneva University Hospital and University of Geneva

The agreement unlocks new potential for the clinical development of the legacy oncology platform, as Release Therapeutics advances its focus on CNS therapies.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, September 4, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Release Therapeutics (“Release Tx” or “the Company”), a privately held Swiss BioMedTech company, today announced an exclusive licensing agreement with the Oncology Division at Geneva University Hospital (“HUG”) and the University of Geneva (“UNIGE”) covering the intellectual property behind the autologous vaccination programme for oncological indications, MVX-ONCO. The programme was originally developed by Release Tx during its time operating as MaxiVAX SA.

A Phase I, first-in-human clinical study is under way at HUG to evaluate the safety, tolerability and early efficacy of MVX-ONCO-2 in people with advanced solid tumours (NCT05071846). This personalised, cell-based immunotherapy combines a subcutaneous injection of lethally irradiated autologous tumour cells with the implantation of two miniature cell encapsulation devices containing immortalised human myoblasts genetically engineered to secrete granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a potent immune adjuvant. All six participants have now completed the full vaccination schedule, with the final dose administered on 22 July 2025. Conducted on an out-patient basis by the Cell Therapy Centre and the Clinical Research Unit at HUG, the trial is expected to deliver analysis results by the end of 2025. Planning is already under way for a follow-up study that will combine two potent immunomodulators expressed by the encapsulated cells, subject to successful research-grant funding.

Under the agreement, Release Tx has granted HUG and UNIGE exclusive rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialise select proprietary assets, including myoblast cell lines engineered to secrete GM-CSF (MVX-2) and anti-CTLA4 antibodies (MVX-3) with the associated cell encapsulation technology, under the scope of the ongoing clinical development programme. Release Tx retains an exclusive option to re-acquire rights to future developments under commercially favourable terms, ensuring the Company remains well-positioned to capitalise on the programme's continued advancement.

The MVX-ONCO platform is a personalised, dual-component cancer vaccine that represents a high-impact advancement in immuno-oncology, leveraging Release Tx's proprietary macroencapsulation technology to drive sustained, localised immune activation. The ongoing Phase I study at HUG marks the first-in-human evaluation combining an optimised encapsulation device loaded with immortalised human myoblasts to create a personalised cancer vaccine. The successful completion of the vaccination schedule across all 6 enrolled patients demonstrates the platform's safety profile, validating the underlying technology platform.

For patients, this licensing agreement ensures the continued advancement of a promising therapeutic approach targeting significant unmet needs in oncology. The planned follow-up study, combining both MVX-2 and MVX-3, has the potential to boost therapeutic efficacy and broaden the platform's reach across multiple tumour types.

For Release Tx, the agreement represents a strategic decision allowing the Company to concentrate its expertise and resources on its core CNS mission, while maintaining strategic oversight of the oncology programme's development. The Company's focus on CNS disorders builds upon the same foundational cell macroencapsulation technology, focused on the critical challenge of delivering potent therapeutic proteins across the blood-brain barrier, a breakthrough that could transform treatment options for patients with rare genetic neurological disorders.

Release Tx’s CEO, Dr. Julien Grogg said: “We built Release Therapeutics to scale impact, not just products. This licensing agreement advances our platform in parallel across oncology and the CNS. It proves that disciplined focus and meaningful breadth can coexist in a single platform. Above all, we measure success by delivering transformative science to the patients who need it most.”

“At HUG, our mission is to translate cutting-edge science into therapies that improve patients’ lives,” said Professor Alfredo Addeo, Head of the Oncology Service at HUG. “The MVX-ONCO programme reflects both innovation and collaboration, and this agreement with Release Therapeutics and UNIGE ensures that a promising immunotherapy platform will continue its clinical development for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.”

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About Release Therapeutics
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Release Therapeutics is a privately-held, BioMedTech company developing the first cell macroencapsulation technology designed to deliver potent therapeutic proteins beyond the human blood-brain barrier. The Company’s proprietary technology integrates an implantable macroencapsulation device with an immortalised myoblast cell line capable of producing a broad range of proteins for long-term delivery to the CNS. Innovating at the nexus of biotech and MedTech, Release Therapeutics is on a mission to treat genetic diseases of the CNS without gene therapy. The company’s lead programme is in preclinical development for the treatment of Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare genetic disorder that leads to progressive loss of myelin and typically affects young children.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.release-tx.com/

Jessica Kourniaktis, DPhil
Manage Mind Greece (for Release Therapeutics)
jkourniakti@managemind.ch
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