USPTO Issues Patent To Alios For Glyco-Engineered Interferons

Alios BioPharma has bagged US Patent No. 7,597,884 from US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The company has claimed that numerous compounds from its glycoengineering program including its IND candidate, Glycoferon, are being developed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Reportedly, the patent, titled “Hyperglycosylated Polypeptide Variants and Methods of Use” and issued on october 6, 2009, is the first patent granted to Alios for the its proprietary approach for glycoengineering of proteins including type 1 interferons.

The company has said that it will present its preclinical results for the Glycoferon program, including efficacy in a yellow fever virus model (a surrogate model for chronic hepatitis C), at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) conference to be held on October 30 through November 3 in Boston.

Leonid Beigelman, executive vice president of Research at Alios, said: “This patent represents a significant milestone for Alios as the method for glycoprotein-engineering of interferons is being applied to the development of an interferon alpha (Glycoferon molecule, which may be useful for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, and an interferon beta (Beta-Gly molecule, which may be useful for the treatment of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Both of these compounds have the potential for once monthly dosing without compromising biological potency.”