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USPTO Grants Advaxis New Listeria Based Fusion Protein Patent
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Protein Family Effective in Treating Cancer in Presence of Immune Tolerance
North Brunswick, NJ -- The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Advaxis, Inc., (OTCBB: ADXS), the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, patent #7662396 titled "Compositions and Methods for Enhancing the Immunogenicity of Antigens" for the use of fusion proteins that have been found to be effective in numerous models for the treatment of cancer in the presence of immune tolerance.
The patent covers the use of this antigen-adjuvant family of proteins alone or when delivered via a live, attenuated Listeria vaccine. Advaxis has patents on two families of antigen-fusion proteins based upon the Listeria proteins Act-A and LLO.
While LLO is the Company’s most used fusion protein, this additional patented protein family is based upon fusing a target antigen to a fragment of the Listeria protein Act-A, a protein used to facilitate the movement of Listeria. Act-A is known to have non-specific immune stimulating adjuvant properties.
Immune tolerance occurs when repeated immunogenic stimulation results in fatigue of the immune system and an inability to mount a therapeutic response. An agent such as an Act-A antigen fusion protein has the ability to generate a therapeutic anti-tumor immune response; even in the presence of pre-existing immune tolerance.
"With the proprietary ActA and LLO families of fusion proteins and the multiple strains of engineered Listeria suitable for vaccine use, we can create immunotherapies for a wide variety indications in cancer and infectious disease." commented Dr. John Rothman, Executive Vice President of Science and Operations.
About Advaxis, Inc.
Based in North Brunswick, New Jersey, Advaxis is developing proprietary Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) cancer vaccines based on technology developed by Dr. Yvonne Paterson, professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania and chairperson of Advaxis’ scientific advisory board. Advaxis is developing attenuated live Listeria vaccines that deliver engineered tumor antigens, which stimulate multiple simultaneous immunological mechanisms to fight cancer.
In a recent Advaxis Phase I clinical trial, a live Lm vaccine directed against the tumor-associated antigen HPV-16-E7 was safely administered to fifteen (15) women with recurrent, advanced, metastatic cancer of the cervix. Although this first trial of an Listeria vaccine in humans was not designed or powered to prove efficacy, Advaxis believes an efficacy signal was observed that will be further explored in three (3) planned Phase II trials, to be conducted in the US and India in cervical cancer and its predecessor condition, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Advaxis now has nine (9) distinct cancer fighting constructs in various stages of development, both directly and with academic collaborators.
For further information on Advaxis, please visit: www.advaxis.com, and our corporate pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained herein that are not purely historical are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements deal with the Company’s current plans, intentions, beliefs and expectations and statements of future economic performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from what is currently anticipated. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed from time to time in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cannot guarantee its future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.
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