Cytheris broadens patent protection for recombinant human interleukin-7

Feb 2 2010

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent application "Glycosylated IL-7, Preparation and Uses", US Patent Application Number 11/996,176. The Notice of Allowance is the USPTO’s official communication that the Company’s application has successfully completed examination and that a patent will be issued.

“This patent, together with our recently issued patent covering IL-7 pharmaceutical composition, provides broad protection for Cytheris’ recombinant human interleukin-7 (CYT107), a critical immune-modulator for immune T-cell recovery and enhancement, and extends this protection in the U.S. to 2026.”

"We are pleased to announce receipt of this Notice of Allowance by the USPTO," said Michel Morre, DVM, President and CEO of Cytheris. “This patent, together with our recently issued patent covering IL-7 pharmaceutical composition, provides broad protection for Cytheris’ recombinant human interleukin-7 (CYT107), a critical immune-modulator for immune T-cell recovery and enhancement, and extends this protection in the U.S. to 2026.”

Together these two patents protect an IL-7 composition for therapeutic use containing the purified protein as a drug substance with the correct disulfide bridging, the appropriate glycosylation profile and polypeptidic purity. This latest patent also protects various hyperglycosylated analogs and various fusion proteins.

Considerable evidence from basic immunology, preclinical models and, more recently, from clinical studies, confirms the unique role of IL-7 in the functioning of the immune system and especially in providing the right cells in sufficient numbers and functional properties to support and improve specific immune responses against infectious agents and malignant cells. In that light, as with EPO for red blood cells and G-CSF for neutrophils, IL-7 plays a pivotal role in supporting T cell expansion and function.

IL-7 was originally discovered by Immunex Corporation (now part of Amgen) and through a process of intellectual property acquisition resulting from several mergers, the compound eventually ended up at what is today Sanofi-Aventis, from whom Cytheris holds the exclusive worldwide license. Cytheris also holds the rights to an additional IL-7 patent family acquired under an exclusive worldwide license from the Washington Research Foundation of the University of Washington, Seattle.

As the exclusive licensee, Cytheris holds all original patents protecting IL-7 and various uses including the use for T cell expansion and for enhancing humoral and cellular immunity.