DURHAM — Istari Oncology has raised $43.4 million from 17 investors, according to an SEC filing. Following the filing, the Durham-based clinical-stage biotechnology company received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its investigational immunotherapy PVSRIPO, that now with approval, will be tested in a phase 1/2 open-label clinical trial. The aim of the trial is to evaluate the application of PVSRIPO in activating a patient’s adaptive and innate immune system to bolster the body’s systemic anti-tumor response. “For patients with most solid tumors, for example, those that express CD155, which is the vast majority of solid tumors, PVSRIPO delivered into the tumor may be able to stimulate the immune system to recognize and eliminate the tumor,” said W. Garrett Nichols, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer at Istari Oncology in an interview with WRAL TechWire.