Benzinga | Dec 10, 2020 09:05AM EST

OncoSec Medical Reports European Patent Office Issued Notices Of Intent To Grant For 2 Patent Applications

OncoSec Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:ONCS) (the "Company" or "OncoSec") today announced that the European Patent Office has issued notices of intention to grant for two patent applications. The applications are directed to the use of OncoSec's interleukin-12 (IL-12)-based immunotherapy platform, including its lead product candidate TAVO(tm) (tavokinogene telseplasmid) delivered with the Company's proprietary intratumoral gene electrotransfer system for the treatment of cancer.

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(r) (pembrolizumab), a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with recurrent metastatic melanoma who are in need of a more effective treatment option.