JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TapImmune, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPIV), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of innovative peptide and gene-based immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer and metastatic disease, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent application titled, “Chimeric nucleic acid molecules with non-AUG initiation sequences and uses thereof.”
The patent expands upon the company’s intellectual property for its proprietary PolyStart antigen expression technology, which elevates the expression of T-cell antigenic epitopes for use in next-generation vaccines for cancer or infectious diseases. The patent claims cover the use of PolyStart to express Class I and II antigenic peptides of HER2, an important cell surface protein that is overexpressed in more than 20 percent of all breast cancer patients.
The term of this patent extends to March 17, 2035 and its inventor is Dr. Robert Z. Florkiewicz, Head of Research at TapImmune.
“This patent significantly enhances our IP position for our PolyStart platform, further positioning TapImmune as a leader in the development of next-generation vaccines for cancer,” said Dr. Glynn Wilson, Chairman and CEO of TapImmune. “The allowed claims cover enhanced expression of class I and class II HER2 antigens, enabling us to create future vaccines that should elicit robust and long-lasting T-cell immune responses against HER2/neu+ cancers with enhanced potency. While we focus on advancing our multiple Phase 2 clinical programs in ovarian and breast cancer, we expect to continue developing PolyStart to be used synergistically with our peptide-based vaccines as well as potentially monetized through licensing or partnership with other vaccine developers in oncology and infectious disease applications.”
PolyStart can easily be adapted to various therapy compositions, meaning it can elevate the expression of selected epitopes via nearly any DNA-based (e.g., plasmid or minigene), RNA, or viral (replicating or non-replicating) delivery system. The PolyStart-expressed antigens are naturally processed and presented in greater abundance by antigen-presenting cells in the body, potentially generating a more potent and robust immune response against the target cells, be they tumor cells or infectious microbes.
About PolyStart
PolyStart is a unique antigen expression system that ‘elevates’ the expression, and consequently the processing and presentation of desired antigenic peptide(s) for the stimulation of T-killer and/or T-helper cells to recognize and kill target cells. This novel vaccine technology platform creates a four-fold or greater increase in presentation of any antigen, giving it unlimited application in oncology and infectious diseases. This allows TapImmune to not only leverage the technology for its own vaccine candidates, but also generates additional value for the platform via licensing to third parties.
About TapImmune, Inc.
TapImmune, Inc. is an immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of innovative technologies for the treatment of cancer, including metastasis, and infectious disease. The company’s peptide or nucleic acid-based immunotherapeutics, comprise one or multiple naturally processed epitopes (NPEs) designed to comprehensively stimulate a patient’s killer T-cells, helper T-cells and to restore or further augment antigen presentation by using proprietary nucleic acid-based expression systems. The company’s technologies may be used as stand-alone medications or in combination with current treatment modalities.
Please visit the company’s website at http://www.tapimmune.com for more details.
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release concerning the company’s expectations, plans, business outlook or future performance, and any other statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stored in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to the risks set forth in the company’s most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings which are available through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE TapImmune, Inc.
