Pharmexa receives patent in the United States and Europe on new vaccine candidate
Pharmexa has been granted a patent in the United States and has received communication of intent to grant from the European patent authorities on GV1003, a new peptide vaccine candidate aimed at the telomerase enzyme which is crucial to cancer cells' ability to divide.
The telomerase enzyme, which is crucial to cancer cells' ability to divide, may be found in several forms as a result of mutations. GV1003 is aimed at a particularly interesting form, known as the sigma insert. Scientific investigations indicate that the sigma insert mutation may be found in many cancer types and that the mutation, exactly because it displays a slightly changed sequence of amino acids compared to normal telomerase, could be an ideal target for immunotherapy. Pharmexa is currently investigating GV1003 as a new vaccine candidate in preclinical studies, both internally and in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. The aim of this research is to investigate how frequent this mutation is and thereby the possibility of developing GV1003 as a new universal cancer vaccine. Pharmexa's Phase III cancer vaccine GV1001 is also aimed at the telomerase enzyme.
Pharmexa has received a broad patent in the United States on GV1003 and has received "notice of allowance" from the European patent authorities, signifying that a European patent will be issued shortly. The patents cover GV1003 and a number of associated peptides.
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