USPTO grants Taligen patent for TT30 lead product candidate

Aug 24 2010

Taligen Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing therapies that regulate the complement system to treat inflammatory and immune diseases, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,759,304, entitled "Targeting Complement Factor H For Treatment of Diseases", covering the composition of matter for its lead product candidate, TT30, a novel fusion protein that selectively binds to complement activated cells to locally regulate the complement system, as well as other complement receptor 2-Factor H (CR2-FH) fusion compounds.

“With this patent, along with our extensive R&D efforts, we are in a strong position to move forward with our development plans for TT30, our lead clinical candidate.”

The patent includes method of treatment claims covering a breadth of inflammatory and immune diseases such as macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia reperfusion, organ transplant rejection, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and lupus nephritis. The patent is exclusively licensed to Taligen Therapeutics from the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Colorado. Taligen has more than 50 issued or pending worldwide patents related to therapeutics that target the complement system.

"This patent provides further validation for our innovative approach to selective complement system regulation and highlights the potential for a significant advance in the treatment of a wide array of complement mediated genetic, orphan and large market diseases," said Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., President and CEO of Taligen. "With this patent, along with our extensive R&D efforts, we are in a strong position to move forward with our development plans for TT30, our lead clinical candidate."

Factor H is one of the key regulatory proteins responsible for the body's natural control of the complement system. Defects or deficiencies in Factor H can result in aberrant complement system activation and are associated with diseases such as Age Related macular Degeneration (AMD) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Supplementing Factor H can also treat diseases where other complement regulatory proteins are genetically altered such as in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). TT30, and the other compounds covered in the patent, act to replace or supplement the deficient endogenous Factor H with a potentially more effective and targeted Factor H protein that binds selectively on complement activated cell surfaces and locally suppresses excessive complement activation.

SOURCE Taligen Therapeutics