OncoSec, cancer drug delivery firm, taking form

A new drug developer is forming to commercialize a way to boost the uptake cancer treatments in tumor cells. OncoSec Medical has completed a series of deals over the past month or so to propel its plans.

It was announced earlier this month that the San Diego-based firm had licensed electroporation technology from the vaccine developer Inovio Pharmaceuticals ($INO). The technology involves injecting anti-cancer drugs at the site of a tumor and then using electrical pulses to open the pores of tumor cell walls to increase the uptake of the treatments, according to the company. Its website says that its system has already been tested in 11 clinical trials, and it plans to pursue its development using approved anti-cancer drugs like bleomycin and other treatments. The approach could be used as an alternative to surgical resection of solid tumors.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported this week that OncoSec's stock started trading over the counter after the firm completed a March 1 reverse merger with an entity called NetVentory Solutions.

Apparently, OncoSec isn't just advancing its plans by licensing technology from Inovio, but it's also operating with some executive talent from the Blue Bell, PA-based company. Pundit Dhillon became president and CEO of OncoSec this month after serving as vice president of finance and operations at Inovio. And Avtar Dhillon, the co-founder and chairman of OncoSec, is also the executive chairman and former CEO of Inovio.

- read the San Diego Union-Tribune story
- here's Inovio's earlier release