On April 19, 2017 VLP Therapeutics, LLC. ("VLP"), a biotechnology company focusing on the research and development of therapeutic and preventative vaccines and antibody agents, reported that it successfully received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the composition of matter patent to cover immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 inserted alphavirus VLP (Press release, VLP Therapeutics, APR 19, 2017, View Source [SID1234519826]). The patent will be issued on May 2nd. The patent protects key composition of matter of VLP’s proprietary i-α virus like particles platform technology, and the pharmaceutical composition and vaccine for use in the treatment of cancer. Utilizing the platform technology covered by this patent and other patent estates, VLP is currently focused on developing preventative and therapeutic cancer vaccines as well as next generation of targeted antibody agents. Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! "We are delighted to have achieved this milestone which provides strong protection for our immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 inserted alphavirus VLP based on our platform technology. We strongly believe that this technology represents next generation cancer therapies that use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer with less side effects than current therapies." said Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Wataru Akahata. "Our candidate products have already been shown to be very effective in multiple cancer types in animals, which confirms my belief that this technology has the potential to treat a number of different cancers with high unmet medical needs. More people can benefit from our new cancer vaccine. This patent is another important element in our intellectual property strategy that we believe will allow us to fully exploit the fundamental value of the ongoing research and development. With this patent, as well as additional patents we are actively prosecuting, we are set to move forward with our R&D programs rapidly," he continued.
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About i-α VLP Technology
The immune system is biologically designed to protect us against disease. The human immune system detects foreign objects such as viruses, bacteria or abnormal self-tissues (like cancer cells) in the body, and not only tries to eliminate these entities but also "memorizes" them so it can protect the body from these objects in the future. Vaccines utilize the immune system to protect us from various diseases.
Traditional vaccines are made using live viruses, which, though rare, can cause serious safety issues. Unlike traditional vaccines, VLP’s novel, proprietary platform technology was created by utilizing virus like particles. Virus like particles are identical to the authentic native viruses in their shapes, but do not carry the genetic material of native viruses. Without genetic material, these particles cannot replicate themselves. This means that when virus like particles are presented within our bodies, our immune system will recognize the particles as foreign objects, triggering effective immune responses, but will not cause side effects associated with the native virus due to the absence of genetic material.
Utilizing these virus like particles, VLP Therapeutics developed a proprietary, plug-and-play platform called inserted alphavirus virus-like particle (i-αVLP) using the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) VLP. Through this adaptable platform, foreign antigens can be inserted into two specific sites of the envelope protein on the surface of i-αVLP. With 240 copies of envelope protein per CHIKV VLP, each i-αVLP can display a tremendous 480 copies of an inserted antigen. This highly symmetrical, icosahedral dense array of antigens has been shown to induce very strong immune responses, resulting in its superior efficacy. Additionally, unlike traditional vaccines, virus like particles themselves are non-replicative, as described above, because they do not carry any genetic material, and therefore are safe, having been used to make the FDA-approved vaccines for Hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus. VLP Therapeutics has established a method to efficiently produce i-αVLPs which can be scaled for commercial production.
About VLP Therapeutics
VLP Therapeutics, LLC (VLP) was established in 2012 by seasoned biopharmaceutical veterans with the mission to develop innovative medical treatments which can transform traditional vaccines and targeted antibody therapies to address global unmet medical needs. Its vision is to combat 21st century global public health problems through its revolutionary next generation i-αVLP technology platform. VLP is currently developing preventative and therapeutic vaccines as well as next generation targeted antibody agents to treat cancer, infectious diseases, such as Malaria, Dengue Fever and Zika virus-based diseases, autoimmune and neurological diseases.