The relocation places Theolytics within ARC Oxford’s growing science and innovation campus, which hosts more than 30 life sciences and technology companies and provides access to Oxford’s research institutes, teaching hospitals and academic ecosystem.
Founded in 2017 as a spinout from the University of Oxford, Theolytics develops targeted oncolytic immunotherapies designed to address difficult-to-treat solid tumours.
The company’s proprietary Adenovo platform enables the discovery of adenoviral candidates engineered for direct and intravenous delivery against stroma-rich tumours, including ovarian, colorectal, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and triple-negative breast cancer.
The company’s lead candidate, THEO-260, is currently being evaluated in clinical trials for advanced ovarian cancer.
The therapy is designed to target both cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumour microenvironment, while stimulating tumour-specific immune activation. Preclinical studies have demonstrated activity across ovarian cancer patient samples and other advanced models.
THEO-260 is being investigated through two clinical programmes: the Phase I/IIa OCTOPOD-IV trial, which is evaluating intravenous administration in the UK, Spain and Canada and the OCTOPOD-IP trial at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the US, assessing intraperitoneal delivery.
The move to ARC Oxford builds on the momentum in Theolytics’ clinical development strategy.
Earlier this year, the company secured €8m in Horizon Europe 2025 funding to support the planned Phase II expansion study of THEO-260 in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
David Apelian, CEO of Theolytics, said the new facility would provide the company with the infrastructure needed to expand its platform and generate additional immunotherapy candidates targeting solid tumours.
“Relocating to ARC Oxford marks an exciting new chapter for Theolytics,” he said.
The new facility will be a central hub from which to drive the development of our lead oncolytic immunotherapy THEO-260, which is advancing in two clinical trials in advanced ovarian cancer.
Dan Williams, Director of Asset Management at ARC Oxford, added that the campus was designed to support translational science companies working on high-impact research and development programmes.
The relocation spotlights the continued growth of Oxford’s life sciences cluster, with biotech companies increasingly leveraging the region’s academic expertise, clinical networks and specialist laboratory infrastructure to advance novel therapeutics from discovery into clinical development.
