SAN DIEGO, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lpath, Inc. (OTC: LPTN - News), the category leader in therapeutic agents against bioactive lipids, today announced the receipt of a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on an important cancer patent.
When issued, this patent will give Lpath coverage for the use of Sphingomab(TM) in the treatment of cancer. Sphingomab is Lpath’s monoclonal antibody against sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), an important bioactive lipid that has been validated as a cancer drug target. Findings that demonstrate the profound anti-cancer effects of Sphingomab were recently published in the prestigious journal, Cancer Cell.
The first claim allowed by the USPTO gives Lpath broad coverage of “any agent that binds to sphingosine-1-phosphate” for the treatment of cancer. Another claim specifically covers antibodies or antibody variants in cancer treatment. Roger Sabbadini, Lpath’s chief scientific officer and scientific founder, is listed as the inventor on this important patent.
Lpath has other patents that cover Sphingomab as a composition of matter (i.e., a potential drug), but this new patent gives Lpath coverage of an important disease indication that has been validated in mouse models of human cancers described in the Cancer Cell paper.
The murine (mouse-based) form of Sphingomab was the first antibody created using Lpath’s proprietary ImmuneY2(TM) technology. This proprietary technology provides Lpath a platform from which to generate antibodies against other important bioactive lipids. For example, Lpath recently developed a monoclonal antibody against another bioactive lipid, LPA, which is also a validated cancer target.
“Lpath’s broad and deep intellectual property coverage is now supported by over 26 issued and pending patents,” said Scott Pancoast, Lpath’s president and chief executive officer. “This patent, once issued, will allow Lpath to prevent the unlicensed use of Sphingomab and other S1P-binding agents in the treatment of cancer.”
Lpath has recently engineered humanized versions of Sphingomab so that this potential therapeutic may be administered multiple times to cancer patients without eliciting a neutralizing immune response.
About Lpath
Lpath, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California, is the category leader in lipidomic-based therapeutics, an emerging field of medical science whereby bioactive signaling lipids are targeted for treating important human diseases. Lpath’s lead product candidate, Sphingomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against a validated cancer target, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and has demonstrated compelling results in preclinical studies against multiple forms of cancers, against AMD, and against heart failure. Sphingomab(TM) is potently anti-angiogenic, yet it has other mechanisms of action that may prove advantageous in the clinical setting. Lpath’s second product candidate, Lpathomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a key bioactive lipid that has been long recognized as a significant promoter of cancer-cell growth and metastasis in a broad range of tumor types.
Lpath’s unique ability to generate antibodies against bioactive lipids is based on its patented ImmuneY2(TM) technology. The company intends to apply the ImmuneY2 process to other important lipid-signaling agents, thereby providing a robust pipeline of antibody-based drug candidates.
About Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. For example, there can be no assurance that required clinical trials will be successful, necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained, or the proposed treatments will prove to be safe or effective. Actual results may also differ substantially from those described in or contemplated by this press release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in our operations and business environment, including, without limitation, our limited experience in the development of therapeutic drugs, our dependence upon proprietary technology, our history of operating losses and accumulated deficits, our reliance on research grants, current and future competition, and other risks described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
Lpath Contacts:
Lpath, Inc. Scott R. Pancoast, (858) 678-0800 x104 President & CEO, spancoast@Lpath.com www.Lpath.com
Lpath Investor Relations Liolios Group, Inc., (949) 574-3860 Geoffrey Plank, geoffrey@liolios.com Ron Both, ron@liolios.com
Source: Lpath, Inc.
