On August 8, 2022 Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company and a pioneer in computational target discovery, reported that the European Patent Office has granted Compugen a new patent covering anti-PVRIG antibodies for use in cancer treatment (Press release, Compugen, AUG 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234617823]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
European Patent No. 3 653 221 link titled "Anti-PVRIG antibodies and Methods of Use" augments previously issued patents by expanding and protecting the use of COM701 for treating cancer patients, to include any anti-PVRIG antibody for use in the treatment of cancer, wherein the antibody activates T cells and/or NK cells and competes with COM701 for specific binding to PVRIG. The patent further claims such anti-PVRIG antibodies for use in the treatment of cancer, wherein the anti-PVRIG antibody is used in combination with antagonistic antibodies targeting additional immune checkpoints.
"As part of our strategy to secure broad patent protection for our innovative portfolio, we are delighted to be granted protection against any antibody that competes with our potentially first-in- class anti-PVRIG, COM701, and activates T or/and NK cells for treatment of cancer," said Anat Cohen-Dayag, Ph.D., President, and Chief Executive Officer of Compugen.
European Patent No. 3 653 221 link is expected to expire no earlier than February 2036.
About COM701
COM701 is a humanized antibody that binds with high affinity to PVRIG, a novel immune checkpoint discovered computationally by Compugen, blocking the interaction with its ligand, PVRL2. In pre-clinical studies, blockade of PVRIG by COM701 has demonstrated potent, reproducible enhancement of T cell activation, consistent with the desired mechanism of action of activating T cells in the tumor microenvironment to generate anti-tumor immune responses. Compugen has identified PVRIG and TIGIT as key parallel and complementary inhibitory pathways in the DNAM-1 axis, which also intersect with the well-established PD-1 pathway. Research from Compugen suggests that these three pathways have different dominance in different tumor types and patients, implying that to induce effective antitumor responses, certain patient populations may require the blockade of different combinations of these three pathways. To test this hypothesis, Compugen has established a science-driven, biomarker informed clinical program, which evaluates different combinations of these axis members across tumor types. Compugen is the only company with clinical assets targeting both PVRIG and TIGIT in its portfolio allowing it to explore the potential of blocking these parallel and complementary members of the DNAM axis comprehensively to drive robust immune responses.