Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Celyad, a leader in the discovery and development of engineered cell therapies, today announced the issuance of United States Patent No. 9,663,763 relating to Celyad’s method of treating cancer by administering allogeneic primary human T cells that are engineered to be T-Cell Receptor (TCR)-deficient and to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR).
US Patent 9,663,763 was examined under the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program, also known as the “Patents 4 Patients” initiative, and is the third patent in Celyad’s allogeneic intellectual property portfolio awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This new patent claims specifically methods of treating cancer patients with allogeneic TCR-deficient CAR-T immunotherapies. Earlier patents were related to the allogeneic TCR-deficient CAR-T cells per se, and to methods of producing them. The combination of these granted patents strengthens Celyad’s position and further confirms its leadership in engineered cell therapy, and in the allogeneic CAR-T space.
Allogeneic technology has the potential to broaden the therapeutic applications of CAR T-Cell immunotherapies as it does not depend on cells derived from the patient. TCR-deficient CAR-T cells are aimed at avoiding or greatly reducing adverse immune reactions (such as a graft- versus-host-disease (GVHD) response) which would greatly benefit patients.
Dr. Christian Homsy, CEO of Celyad: “We are pleased to have obtained this new patent. The combination of this patent with the earlier granted US Patents consolidates our strong IP position in the CAR-T field and strengthens our IP portfolio covering key elements in the allogeneic TCR-deficient CAR-T cells production value chain.”
Dr. Georges Rawadi, VP Business Development & IP at Celyad: “Allogeneic CAR-T cells are of increasing interest to many Pharma and BioPharma companies involved in cell-based cancer immunotherapies. We are looking to maximize the significant value of our allogeneic CAR-T assets through strategic collaborations and partnerships such as the ones we have established with ONO Pharma and Novartis.”
