MVA-hIL-7-Fc

MVA-hIL-7-Fc is a novel virotherapy based on a non-replicative recombinant Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) engineered to encode human interleukin-7 (hIL-7) fused to the human IgG2 Fc fragment. This design extends the in vivo half-life of IL-7 and enables broad delivery across organs. The therapy aims to restore immune homeostasis in immunosuppressed patients, particularly those with severe sepsis or COVID-19, by enhancing both innate and adaptive immunity. Mechanistically, MVA-hIL-7-Fc increases numbers and activation of T cells (CD4+ and CD8+), B cells, NK cells, and myeloid lineage cells; it also promotes T cell differentiation into memory/effector phenotypes and boosts cytokine production such as IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Preclinical studies show that it confers survival advantages in models of sepsis-induced immunosuppression compared to soluble rhIL-7-Fc[1][4][5]. The clinical development is focused on restoring immune function in ICU patients with established immunosuppression due to bacterial sepsis or COVID-19[1].