BioVex

BioVex Group, Inc. was a privately held, venture-funded biotechnology company founded in 1999 as a spinout from University College London by virologist Robert Coffin. The company pioneered the development of oncolytic viruses — genetically engineered viruses that selectively replicate within and destroy cancer cells while simultaneously stimulating an immune response against the tumor. Its lead program, OncoVEX(GM-CSF), later commercialized as talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), was a novel oncolytic vaccine in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and head and neck cancer. Headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, BioVex was acquired by Amgen in January 2011 for up to $1 billion — $425 million in cash at closing plus up to $575 million in milestone payments. T-VEC subsequently became the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus therapy in 2015.