SAN DIEGO, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ViroMissile, Inc., a cancer immunotherapy company pioneering the IDOV™ (Intravenously Deliverable Oncolytic Virus) platform, today announced the appointment of Diane Simeone, M.D., and Matt Mulvey, Ph. D., as clinical and strategic advisors, respectively. The appointments add scientific, clinical, and business expertise as ViroMissile advances three Phase 1 clinical programs evaluating intravenously delivered oncolytic virus therapies designed to systemically reach and treat tumors throughout the body.
"We are honored to welcome Drs. Simeone and Mulvey as advisors," said Nanhai George Chen, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ViroMissile. "As our three Phase 1 programs advance, we are fortunate to add advisors who have led oncology clinical development programs and who bring deep scientific expertise in engineering oncolytic viruses, from vector design through to the clinic and acquisition by large pharmaceutical companies. Their perspective will help us make the right decisions as we advance the IDOV platform to pursue our vision of establishing systemically delivered oncolytic viruses as a new cornerstone of cancer treatment."
Dr. Simeone is the Director of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego, where she holds the Koman Family Presidential Director’s Chair and is Professor of Surgery and Pharmacology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. An internationally recognized pancreatic surgeon and cancer researcher, she has been continuously NIH-funded for 27 years investigating the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer metastasis and developing novel therapies. She has pioneered adaptive platform clinical trials for pancreatic cancer and, as co-chair of the AACI Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Steering Committee, works to reduce trial activation timelines and improve clinical trial efficiency in the U.S. She also leads the 65-center PRECEDE Consortium focused on early detection of pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Simeone added, "Expanding the reach of oncolytic virus therapy beyond directly injectable tumors would be meaningful progress in treatment for patients with advanced cancers. I look forward to contributing in this role and working with the teams and clinical programs that will help to generate the evidence-based data needed to move this approach forward."
Dr. Mulvey is a scientist-entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience designing and developing HSV-1-based oncolytic virus and gene therapy vectors. He co-founded and led BeneVir Biopharm, acquired by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) in a $1.04 billion preclinical transaction, and subsequently served as a Vice President at Janssen overseeing integration of the BeneVir team and platform. As a graduate student at NYU, he co-developed the SUP1 HSV backbone that was licensed for the development of T-VEC, the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus, and that also underlies Replimune's O-Vec, conditionally approved by the FDA in 2026. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer of Replay, acquired by LEO Pharma in 2026.
"Having designed and developed intratumorally administered oncolytic virus technologies with positive clinical results, I see the IDOV platform as the best shot at achieving the Holy Grail in our field: an intravenously delivered oncolytic virus capable of bringing potent cytolytic effects and tumor microenvironment disruption to all tumors in a patient, not just the ones accessible by a needle," said Dr. Mulvey. "I'm excited to work with the ViroMissile team to help realize the potential of the IDOV platform to benefit patients with advanced cancer.”
About ViroMissile, Inc.
ViroMissile, Inc. is a cancer immunotherapy company harnessing a systemically delivered oncolytic virus that seeks and selectively destroys tumors throughout the body. As the first company to demonstrate effective and efficient intravenous tumor targeting with an oncolytic virus in humans, ViroMissile is leading a new era of viral immunotherapy that combines direct tumor killing with immune activation for durable responses in patients with advanced solid tumors. The company's proprietary IDOV™ (Intravenously Deliverable Oncolytic Virus) platform is designed to extend the reach of immunotherapy to metastatic and treatment-resistant cancers. ViroMissile Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of ViroMissile, Inc., conducts the company's clinical trial operations in Australia.
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