On August 26, 2019 Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs, reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,344,262, for a system for production of antigen presenting dendritic cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) (Press release, Lineage Cell Therapeutics, AUG 26, 2019, View Source [SID1234538975]). The claimed system and cell populations involve culturing cells in a serum-free medium utilizing factors including bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4), granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), stem cell factor (SCF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to generate hESC-derived mature dendritic cells.

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"The issuance of this patent is important because the allowed claims support our differentiation process for the production of VAC2, our allogeneic, or "off-the-shelf" cancer immunotherapy program, currently being tested in a Phase I clinical trial in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer," stated Brian M. Culley, Chief Executive Officer of Lineage. "VAC2 is produced from pluripotent cell technology to generate a population of mature dendritic cells, which are utilized because of their potent antigen presenting ability which instructs the body’s immune system to attack and eliminate harmful pathogens and unwanted cells. VAC2 is specifically designed to stimulate a patient’s immune response to a tumor antigen commonly expressed in cancerous cells but rarely found in normal adult cells. We are fortunate that the VAC2 trial is being fully-funded and conducted by Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer research charity. Patient enrollment will continue throughout 2019 and we expect to have immunogenicity data on the initial set of patients later this year."