On December 10, 2020 OncoSec Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:ONCS) (the "Company" or "OncoSec") reported that the European Patent Office has issued notices of intention to grant for two patent applications (Press release, OncoSec Medical, DEC 10, 2020, View Source [SID1234572616]). The applications are directed to the use of OncoSec’s interleukin-12 (IL-12)-based immunotherapy platform, including its lead product candidate TAVO (tavokinogene telseplasmid) delivered with the Company’s proprietary intratumoral gene electrotransfer system for the treatment of cancer.
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The allowed patent claims cover methods of using TAVO delivered by intratumoral electroporation given in combination with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, which OncoSec has shown stimulates the tumor microenvironment and enables the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. The allowed claims are also directed to the delivery of a gene encoding a therapeutic protein, such as a cytokine, using electroporation, to treat microscopic residual tumors following tumor resection, an important treatment step that if implemented clinically, has the potential to improve outcomes of cancer patients. Once granted, these two patents extend key patent coverage until March 24, 2036 and March 2, 2027 respectively.
"Pursuing these patents is important to strengthen the intellectual property protections around TAVO and our electroporation gene delivery system," said Daniel O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer of OncoSec. "The cancer therapy methods covered under these patents have potential to be applied to the treatment of a variety of cancer types and will provide additional proprietary protection as we seek to expand our global footprint."
As a next-generation intratumoral therapy, TAVO has already demonstrated the ability to induce regression of both treated lesions and untreated distant and visceral lesions, when used in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with recurrent metastatic melanoma who are in need of a more effective treatment option.
About TAVO
OncoSec’s gene therapy technology combines TAVOTM (tavokinogene telseplasmid), a DNA plasmid-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), with an intra-tumoral electroporation gene delivery platform to achieve endogenous IL-12 production in the tumor microenvironment that enables the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. TAVO has demonstrated a local and systemic anti-tumor response in several clinical trials, including the pivotal Phase 2b trial KEYNOTE-695 for metastatic melanoma and the KEYNOTE-890 Phase 2 trial in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TAVO has received both Orphan Drug and Fast-Track Designation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.