ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Announces Issuance of Japanese Patent Covering Its Lead Antibody Product Candidate ICT-109 For Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer
Monday June 29, 2009, 8:00 am EDT
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTC: IMUC.OB ) (IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing immune based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers, announced today the issuance of a Japanese patent relating to the company's monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Patent No. 4287147, entitled "Monoclonal Antibodies and Cell Surface Antigens for the Detection and Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer," covers the use of IMUC's proprietary antibodies in diagnosing and treating patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) using the company's lead antibody product candidate, ICT-109. This latest issuance builds on IMUC's existing patent portfolio in U.S. and international jurisdictions for both the detection and treatment of multiple types of cancer.
"This latest patent provides additional support to our existing network of intellectual property assets and should serve to position our portfolio of proprietary antibody therapies extremely well as we continue to actively seek partnership opportunities both domestically and abroad," commented Manish Singh, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of IMUC. "The Japanese patent office's recognition of the unique nature of the potential therapeutic benefits of our antibody technology for early diagnosis and targeted treatment of SCLC should further enable us to attract partners to assist in bringing these promising technologies through clinical testing and on to commercialization."
IMUC's portfolio includes several monoclonal antibody-related technologies acquired from Molecular Discoveries, LLC, with ICT-109 being a promising candidate for clinical development thanks to its ability to recognize unique glycoproteins present on malignant small cell lung cancers. Encouraging preliminary pre-clinical data generated by IMUC demonstrates in-vivo targeting by ICT-109 to cells expressing target antigen and efficacy in xenograft models, making it a good candidate for targeting SCLC. IMUC is targeting having ICT-109 enter clinical trials in 2010 for SCLC and pancreatic cancer indications pending completion of pre-clinical development work and securing support from a corporate partner or licensee. It is currently in pre-clinical development, with plans to couple it with a diagnostic kit to prescreen patients for the specific antigens that bind to ICT-109, further increasing its potential as a therapeutic option for these terrible diseases.
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. IMUC expects its "off the shelf" therapeutic vaccine product candidate targeting cancer stem cells for multiple cancer indications to enter clinical trials for brain cancer in early 2010. IMUC is in pre-clinical development of a 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 without limitation the risk that 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 molecular antibody and other product candidates; 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.
Contact Information:
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd.
CEOcast, Inc.
Gary Nash
Investor Relations
Tel: (212) 732-4300
Email: Gnash@ceocast.com
Source: ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd.
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