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ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Applies for Key Patent Relating to Novel Antigen Targets for Its Monoclonal Antibody Product Candidate
Monday, October 19, 2009
Los Angeles, CA -- ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers, announced today that it has filed a provisional patent application at US Patent Office seeking protection of intellectual property relating to novel glycosylated epitopes present in lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and colon cancer that are targeted by the Company’s ICT-109 monoclonal antibody product candidate. The patent application, entitled "Cell Surface Antigen for the Detection and Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), Pancreatic, and Colon Cancer," relates to what the Company believes is a unique glycosidic composition of an antigen found on the surface of small cell lung cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer, and covers methods for detecting, diagnosing, monitoring, staging, imaging and/or treating the cancers.
The patent application proposes to extend the intellectual property protection around ICT-109 by protecting proprietary glycosylated targets that are uniquely found in the aforementioned types of cancer and are associated with CEACAM5 and CEACAM6, two commonly targeted antigens in the public domain that are expressed in both healthy and malignant cells. These proprietary targets associated with CEACAM5 and CEACAM6, are uniquely expressed in cancerous cells, which allows ICT-109 to potentially differentiate between antigens present in normal benign tissue cells and those present in tumor cells, enabling the direct targeting of cancerous growths without harming healthy tissue.
"Protecting these novel targets is a key extension of the intellectual property surrounding ICT-109, as discovery of these targets associated with CEACAM5 and CEACAM6, which are specific to SCLC, colon and pancreatic cancers, enable us to design diagnostic and therapeutic products that should allow us to directly target malignant tissues without harming patients," commented Manish Singh, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of IMUC. "Through protection of these proprietary targets, not only will we be able to differentiate our platform from competitors seeking to target related epitopes of CEACAM5 and CEACAM6, but we will also be able to identify these novel glycosylated structures. This should significantly assist us in attracting larger partners in the biotech or pharmaceutical space, where demand for antibodies employing novel targets is extremely high."
About ImmunoCellular Therapeutics
IMUC is a Los Angeles-based clinical-stage company that is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers. The company’s "off the shelf" therapeutic vaccine product candidate targeting cancer stem cells for multiple cancer indications is targeted by IMUC to enter clinical trials for glioblastoma during the first quarter of 2010. IMUC also recently completed a Phase I trial of its dendritic cell-based clinical product candidate for glioblastoma. IMUC has entered into a research and license option deal with the Roche Group for one of its monoclonal antibodies for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer and multiple myeloma, that provides for potential licensing and milestone payments of $32MM and royalties if the Roche Group exercises its option and commercializes this antibody technology for multiple indications. IMUC is in pre-clinical development of another monoclonal antibody product candidate for the treatment of small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer, and is also evaluating its platform technology for monoclonal antibody discovery using differential immunization for diagnosing and treating multiple types of cancer. To learn more about IMUC, please visit www.imuc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the patent covering the glycosidic antigen for ICT-109 will not be granted or will not provide meaningful commercial protection; that ICT-109 in combination with other compounds or technologies will not be sufficiently reliable in detecting cancer to support its commercial use as a diagnostic product; that other patents issued for IMUC’s monoclonal antibody product candidates may not be enforceable or may not provide commercially significant protection for these candidates; the need to confirm preliminary pre-clinical data for IMUC’s lead monoclonal antibody and other monoclonal antibody product candidates; the risks associated with pre-clinical and clinical development of monoclonal antibody and other product candidates, including the potential need to modify ICT-109 or these other candidates or combine them with other technologies to enhance their tumor killing capabilities; the need for substantial additional capital to fund development of product candidates beyond their initial clinical or pre-clinical stages; and the potential inability to secure corporate partners or licensees for development of the monoclonal antibody product candidates. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in IMUC’s most recently filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, all quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and any current reports on Form 8-K, IMUC undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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