CureVac Expands Intellectual Property Position That Significantly Improves Protein Expression for Its mRNA-Based Vaccines and Therapeutics

CureVac announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office have granted or respectively intend to grant multiple composition of matter patents for CureVac’s mRNA technology.

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Jan. 24, 2018 12:00 UTC

TÜBINGEN, Germany & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CureVac, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering mRNA-based drugs, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office have granted or respectively intend to grant multiple composition of matter patents for CureVac’s mRNA technology. These patents are based on a newly identified mRNA element which significantly improves expression of the encoded therapeutic protein and represent an essential part of CureVac’s technology platform, broadening and strengthening the Company’s leading intellectual property (IP) position in the mRNA field. The new IP particularly supports the development of mRNA-based drug candidates as a novel approach in treating severe diseases.

“These patents add significant IP protection to our technology platform that provides the basis for our product technologies RNActive®, RNArt® and RNAntibody®,” said Ingmar Hoerr, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of CureVac. “Our early lead in developing mRNA technologies and products across multiple therapeutic applications as well as in GMP manufacturing has enabled us to establish one of the most comprehensive patent portfolios in the mRNA field. This will allow CureVac and its partners to develop completely new treatment options for patients worldwide while protecting the value of our innovative technology platform and products.”

In total, CureVac holds a broad IP portfolio comprising more than 110 patent families covering different aspects of its mRNA platform, enabling the use and production of mRNA across a wide range of treatment modalities and disease indications.

CureVac’s new intellectual property includes the following composition of matter patents:

  • European Patent No. 2814962 and U.S. Patent No. 9669089: Protects CureVac’s RNActive® products in prophylaxis and treatment of severe and life-threatening infectious diseases.
  • European Patent No. 2814961: Protects CureVac’s RNActive® products in cancer immunotherapy as intended in the Company’s collaboration projects with Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly.
  • U.S. Patent No. 9447431: Protects RNArt® and RNAntibody® technology in gene-replacement therapy or as alternative to antibody therapy. In the field of molecular therapy, CureVac has recently announced a new collaboration with CRISPR Therapeutics.

About CureVac AG

CureVac is a leading company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with more than 17 years’ expertise in handling and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac’s proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, prophylactic vaccines and molecular therapies. To date, CureVac has received approximately $420 million (€400 million) in equity investments including significant investments from SAP founder Dietmar Hopp’s dievini and an investment of $52 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CureVac has also entered into collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, CRISPR Therapeutics, Arcturus Therapeutics and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information, please visit www.curevac.com.

Contacts

CureVac AG, Tübingen, Germany
Verena Lauterbach, +49 (7071) 9883 1756
Senior Manager Communications
verena.lauterbach@curevac.com
or
BMC Communications, New York, USA
Lauren Parikhal, +1 646-513-3117
lparikhal@bmccommunications.com

Source: CureVac AG

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