Chromos Molecular Systems issued four key patents

Chromos Molecular Systems has announced that it has further expanded the patent portfolio surrounding both its ACE System and REM Technology with the issuance of four key additional patents.

Chromos was awarded patents from the United States, Canada and Australia relating to its chromosome-based gene delivery and expression technology known as the ACE System as well as an additional United States patent relating to its REM Technology.

The ACE System is a unique, proprietary artificial chromosome technology used to rapidly engineer cells to express therapeutic proteins. The ACE System provides several unparalleled capabilities for generating cell lines for biopharmaceutical production, for developing gene-based cell therapies and for generating transgenic animals. In the near-term Chromos is focused on using the ACE System to engineer cell lines for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

The newly issued Australian patent 773,728 contains 198 claims and the recently allowed Canadian patent 2,250,682 contains 250 claims covering Chromos' artificial chromosomes. These patents are of particular relevance as they broadly cover multiple aspects of the ACE System, including satellite artificial chromosomes, the proprietary class of chromosomes used in Chromos' ACE System. In addition, these patents contain specific claims to methods of using the artificial chromosomes for applications in engineering cell lines for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, for gene therapy, and for production of transgenic plants and animals.

The new United States patent 6,743,967 contains broad claims covering the methods of producing non-human transgenic mammals comprising satellite artificial chromosomes. The claims in this patent apply to a range of vertebrate and invertebrate species.

"The broad claims in these additional patents add significant value to our worldwide intellectual property rights surrounding the ACE System and further Chromos' position as a leader in the development and commercialization of artificial chromosome technology," said Alistair Duncan, President and CEO of Chromos. "The growing strength of our patent estate will help us to realize the great commercial potential of the ACE System."

Globally, Chromos owns or exclusively licenses approximately 83 granted patents including 18 granted in the U.S., and has about 70 patent applications pending worldwide. Within its patent estate, Chromos holds a dominant intellectual property portfolio worldwide in mammalian artificial chromosome technologies.

Chromos' REM Technology is a proprietary technology that enables development of immune-based cell therapies using antigen-specific T-cells. This is accomplished by the rapid expansion of a patient's own rare antigen specific T-cells into numbers that will be effective for treatment of specific infectious diseases and cancers. Chromos continues to seek partnering and licensing opportunities for use of its REM Technology for development of therapies to treat these serious diseases.

The patent portfolio related to the REM Technology added a key patent with the issuance of United States patent 6,890,753. This patent contains broad claims to a method for expanding an initial cloned T lymphocyte population in culture. This additional patent significantly broadens Chromos' proprietary patent rights and further demonstrates the unique attributes of the REM Technology in the field of cell-based therapies.