Mar 5 2010
The US
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Advaxis,
Inc., (OTCBB: ADXS), the live, attenuated Listeria
monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, patent
#7662396 titled “Compositions and
Methods for Enhancing the Immunogenicity of Antigens” for the
use of fusion proteins that have been found to be effective in numerous
models for the treatment of cancer in the presence of immune tolerance.
“With the proprietary ActA and LLO families of fusion proteins and the
multiple strains of engineered Listeria suitable for vaccine use,
we can create immunotherapies for a wide variety indications in cancer
and infectious disease.”
The patent covers the use of this antigen-adjuvant family of proteins
alone or when delivered via a live, attenuated Listeria vaccine.
Advaxis has patents on two families of antigen-fusion proteins based
upon the Listeria proteins Act-A and LLO.
While LLO is the Company’s most used fusion protein, this additional
patented protein family is based upon fusing a target antigen to a
fragment of the Listeria protein Act-A, a protein used to
facilitate the movement of Listeria. Act-A is known to have
non-specific immune stimulating adjuvant properties.
Immune tolerance occurs when repeated immunogenic stimulation results in
fatigue of the immune system and an inability to mount a therapeutic
response. An agent such as an Act-A antigen fusion protein has the
ability to generate a therapeutic anti-tumor immune response; even in
the presence of pre-existing immune tolerance.
“With the proprietary ActA and LLO families of fusion proteins and the
multiple strains of engineered Listeria suitable for vaccine use,
we can create immunotherapies for a wide variety indications in cancer
and infectious disease.” commented Dr. John Rothman, Executive Vice
President of Science and Operations.