Nventa Bio issued U.S patent for heat shock protein fusion to treat influenza

Jan 30 2007

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent Number 7,157,089 to Nventa.

The patent provides coverage for compositions of fusion proteins comprised of an influenza antigen fused to a heat shock protein (Hsp), as well as DNA encoding such fusion proteins and their use in immunotherapy.

In addition, the Company announced that the corresponding European Patent (EP 941,315 B1) has passed the required European patent opposition period unopposed.

"Given the continued need for influenza treatments and growing concerns about pandemic outbreak, we are very pleased to have been issued the U.S. patent covering our influenza compound," said Gregory M. McKee, President and Chief Executive Officer at Nventa. "While our focus today is on developing HspE7 for the treatment of serious human papillomavirus-related diseases, this patent strengthens our ability to develop a heat shock fusion protein targeting influenza, likely with the cooperation of a corporate, not-for-profit or government partner. We are encouraged to have generated promising preclinical data against common and avian flu types using prototypes of Hsp fusion proteins with influenza antigens at a time that we believe there are few companies working on a treatment in this space."