IDOV-Safe™ Gains Ethics Approval from Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medica

February 21, 2024 – Longyao Bio announced that its lead asset, IDOV-Safe™, has received ethics committee approval from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS). Professor Ning Li, Vice President of the hospital, will serve as the principal investigator (PI). This approval marks the formal initiation of the product's clinical trial at this national leading cancer care institution.

As the supporting institute of the National Cancer Center, the Cancer Hospital, CAMS has consistently ranked first in the national oncology specialty reputation list. It houses five national key disciplines and ten national clinical key specialties, and has led the development of multiple national cancer diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Its ethics review outcomes are widely regarded as a key benchmark within the industry. This expeditious approval represents another authoritative recognition of the innovation and clinical safety of IDOV-Safe™, confirming that its core capabilities in viral safety control and tumor targeting have received formal endorsement from a top-tier Chinese oncology institution.

About Principal Investigator Professor Ning Li

Professor Ning Li is Vice President of the National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, President of the Langfang Campus, Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, and Chief Expert of the CAMS Clinical Research (GCP) Platform Construction . He received his medical doctorate from Peking Union Medical College's eight-year direct medical program in 2005 and studied at Harvard Medical School in 2011, focusing on tumor immunology, targeted therapy, and gene therapy. He has introduced cutting-edge international treatment concepts to China and led numerous clinical studies on innovative drugs and therapies .

In academic leadership, Professor Li holds key positions including Vice Chair of the Medical Ethics Committee of the China Anti-Cancer Association, Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the Beijing Oncology Society, and Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Radiotherapy Branch of the China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Healthcare. He was honored with the National "Top Ten Medical New" Award in 2023 .

Professor Li is one of China's first generation of clinical research physicians, long dedicated to early-phase clinical trials and translational research of anti-cancer drugs . He pioneered a treatment system utilizing precision molecular diagnostics to develop personalized targeted therapies, cellular therapies, antibody treatments, nanomedicines, and vaccines for patients with refractory and recurrent tumors, gaining international recognition . As principal investigator, he has led multiple national research projects, including the National Key R&D Program, the National Natural Science Foundation, and GCP platform construction initiatives . He has published over 100 papers as corresponding author in prestigious international journals including Lancet Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Cancer Cell, and Nature, with a cumulative impact factor exceeding 1,000 .

Professor Li's profound expertise in early-phase clinical trials and translational research of anti-cancer drugs aligns closely with the clinical development of IDOV-Safe™. His leadership in this clinical trial provides top-tier academic guidance and quality assurance for exploring IDOV-Safe™ in solid tumor therapy.

About IDOV-Safe™

IDOV-Safe™ is developed from Longyao Bio's globally leading IDOV™ (Intravenously Deliverable Oncolytic Virus) platform—a vaccinia virus-based technology specifically designed for systemic intravenous administration. Its core breakthrough lies in a proprietary high-yield EEV (extracellular enveloped virus) strain, which enables the virus to evade immune clearance and broadly reach tumors throughout the body. IDOV-Safe™ features an exclusively designed "Magic Switch" gene module controllable by a small molecule: when activated, viral replication is selectively inhibited in normal cells (inhibition rate >99.7%), while proceeding normally in tumor cells. This design achieves potent oncolytic efficacy while significantly expanding the therapeutic safety margin, and confers specific and potent killing advantage against MSS-type colorectal cancer (10–100 fold increased potency).

This collaboration with the National Cancer Center will advance Longyao Bio's oncology pipeline into a higher-quality stage of clinical development, accelerate translational progress, and further consolidate the company's core competitiveness in the oncolytic virus R&D field. Longyao Bio remains committed to advancing the clinical development of IDOV-Safe™, striving to bring the hope of a cure to more patients with refractory solid tumors through this revolutionary technology platform.