ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC) ("ImmunoCellular" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, announced the allowance of U.S. patent claims related to ICT-107, the Company's dendritic cell based cancer vaccine candidate targeting multiple tumor antigens for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The Company received notice that a patent titled "Cancer Vaccines and Vaccination Methods," which covers the method of delivery and the composition of the six antigens in ICT-107 that include TRP-2, MAGE-1, HER-2, IL-13 receptor a2, gp100 and AIM-2.
"The notice of allowance for this patent provides key support for the strong intellectual property protection we are building for ICT-107," said John Yu, MD, one of the inventors of the patent and Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of ImmunoCellular Therapeutics. "We continue to strengthen our intellectual property surrounding ICT-107 and other promising therapies."
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics is currently conducting a Phase-II double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2:1 randomized study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ICT-107 in patients with newly diagnosed GBM. The study will enroll approximately 160 patients at more than 20 clinical trial centers in the U.S. in collaboration with leading experts and opinion leaders in neuro-oncology.
The Phase I clinical study was conducted in 16 newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients, who received three injections of ICT-107 in addition to standard treatment with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The company has previously reported a three year overall survival of 55% compared to 16% based on historical standard of care (SOC). The data shows that 38% of newly diagnosed patients who received ICT-107 continue to show no tumor recurrence after three years compared to 6% disease free survival historically based on SOC. Out of these patients, 19% remain disease-free for more than four years. No serious adverse events have been reported and minor side effects have been limited to fatigue, skin rash and pruritis.
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