ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Wins Two New Patents Covering Cancer Treatment

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, has received two separate US patents relating to the company’s monoclonal antibody therapeutics.

The inventions cover methods for the detection of certain specific epitopes in the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patient and for treating those patients with the company’s monoclonal antibodies in a targeted manner.

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics’s (IMUC’s) lead monoclonal antibody product candidate, ICT-109, which has demonstrated encouraging preliminary data in preclinical studies, is projected to enter clinical trials in 2010 for SCLC and pancreatic cancer indications.

Manish Singh, president and CEO of IMUC, said: “These two patents strengthen our patent protection around our lead antibody program and make this a very attractive asset for potential partnering with larger companies looking to fill their product portfolios.

“SCLC and pancreatic cancer are terrible diseases with very limited therapeutic options. Our antibodies have the potential to detect these cancers early and treat them in a targeted manner, opening potential new avenues for treatments.”