- US Patent and Trademark Office Issues U.S. Patent Covering Drug Resistant Immunotherapy (DRI) Technology
- Claims Provide Initial Protection for Incysus’ Novel DRI Platform
- Incysus Controls Exclusive World-Wide Patent Rights for DRI-based Therapies
NEW YORK, June 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Incysus Therapeutics, Inc. (“Incysus”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering an innovative gamma-delta (γδ) T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,322,145 titled “Drug Resistant Immunotherapy for Treatment of a Cancer.” The patent covers the treatment of brain cancer with the combination of certain chemotherapies and a γδ T cell genetically modified to confer chemotherapy resistance. The unique therapeutic combinations of our DRI technology allows the generation of synergies that can reduce the immunosuppression of solid tumor cancers while upregulating immune signals and maintaining γδ T cell functionality. This has led to the eradication of tumors in animal models.
Incysus has two Investigational New Drug applications (INDs) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and expects to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials of its two lead programs later this year. The first program is targeted to treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma, using the DRI technology, and the second program is focused on treating leukemia and lymphoma patients undergoing stem cell transplantation with allogeneically delivered γδ T cells.
The DRI technology was co-developed by Lawrence S. Lamb, PhD, the scientific co-founder of Incysus and a pioneer in γδ T cell immunotherapy and Dr. H. Trent Spencer, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University (“Emory”). These findings grew out of a collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (“UAB”) and Emory in which Dr. Lamb and Dr. Spencer demonstrated that DRI technology expresses activity in preclinical models of cancer. As Chief Scientific Officer of Incysus, Dr. Lamb has continued to advance the DRI technology to bring this innovative therapy to cancer patients. The Company expects to begin its first Phase 1 trial with a product derived from its DRI platform this year.
Under a 2016 license agreement between Incysus, UAB, Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Incysus controls exclusive, world-wide rights to develop and commercialize DRI therapies. This newly-issued patent is the second issued patent in this family, now covering the DRI technology in both the U.S. and Europe. The Company and its collaborators continue to prosecute the intellectual property to protect this novel immunotherapy approach globally. The full text of this patent is available from the USPTO website (http://bit.ly/2ZxbxKe).
About Incysus Therapeutics, Inc.
Incysus is focused on delivering a novel off-the-shelf cell therapy for the treatment of cancer. By using genetically modified gamma-delta (γδ) T cells, the Company’s technology addresses the challenges that immunotherapies face targeting cold, low mutation cancers. Incysus’ immuno-oncology programs include activated and gene-modified adoptive cellular therapies that protect cells from chemotherapy and allow novel combinations to disrupt the tumor microenvironment and more selectively target cancer cells. Since the Company’s inception in early 2016, Incysus has received approval of two Investigational New Drug applications (IND) and has initiated several cancer programs in early pre-clinical stages, including a checkpoint combination program. The Company’s first program is targeted to leukemia and lymphoma and its second program is targeted to the treatment of newly-diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM). In collaboration with our academic partners, including UAB, Incysus has advanced its technology and expects to begin both Phase 1 trials during 2019. For more information, visit www.incysus.com.
Forward Looking Statements.
Certain statements herein concerning the Company’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, the Company’s current expectations regarding its business strategy, product candidates, and clinical development process and timing, constitute forward-looking statements. The use of words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,” “potential,” or “continue,” the negative of these and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in such statements. In the case of forward-looking statements regarding investigational product candidates and continuing further development efforts, specific risks which could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s current expectations include: scientific, regulatory and technical developments; failure to demonstrate safety, tolerability and efficacy; final and quality controlled verification of data and the related analyses; expense and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approval, including from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and the Company’s reliance on third parties, including licensors and clinical research organizations. Do not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof and which the Company is under no obligation to update or revise as a result of any event, circumstances or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
Contact:
Incysus Therapeutics, Inc.
+1 646.600.6GDT
info@incysus.com
www.incysus.com