Immunicum CEO Jamal El-Mosleh said: "We are pleased with the positive news from the Chinese Patent Office, SIPO, which will further strengthen the protection for our main product.
"This is especially important since we have an ongoing clinical phase I/II trial with INTUVAX in liver cancer, an indication that is widely spread in China.
The Chinese patent to be granted, with the titel "Improved composition for inhibiting tumor cell proliferation", relates to allogeneic dendritic cells (DCs), stimulated by a specific cocktail, for use in the treatment of cancer by intratumoral injection of the DCs.
INTUVAX is a cancer immune primer, developed for the treatment of solid tumors. Its active ingredient is activated white blood cells, so called dendritic cells, derived from healthy blood donors.
Intratumoral injection of these cells is expected to lead to an inflammatory response which in turn leads to tumor-specific activation of the patient’s cytotoxic T lymphocytes.