Patent Approval

RNS Number : 0217Z

Scancell Holdings Plc

09 March 2012

 

9 March 2012

Scancell Holdings plc

("Scancell" or "the Company")

ImmunoBody® Patent Approved in US

Scancell Holdings plc, (AIM: SCLP), the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, is pleased to announce that its protein ImmunoBody® vaccine patent has been approved in the United States. The patent, which has already been approved in Europe and Australia, will further strengthen Scancell's IP position around its proprietary ImmunoBody® vaccine platform.

Scancell's lead vaccine, SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and is currently in Phase I clinical trials. It is an innovative DNA vaccine being developed using Scancell's ImmunoBody® technology. Phase 2 trials are due to start in Q2 2012.

Dr. Richard Goodfellow, Joint Chief Executive of Scancell, commented:

"The USA remains the most important market in which to commercialise our ImmunoBody ® vaccines. The award of this US patent confirms the innovative nature of the ImmunoBody ® platform and provides a sound basis on which to commercialise the technology in the US.  Scancell will continue building its growing portfolio of intellectual property in parallel with driving the clinical trial programme forward during 2012".

Enquiries:

Scancell Holdings Plc Dr Richard Goodfellow / Professor Lindy Durrant	+ 44 (0)20 7653 9850*
Newgate Threadneedle (Financial PR) Guy McDougall/ Heather Armstrong	+ 44 (0)20 7653 9850
Zeus Capital - Nominated Adviser/Joint Broker Ross Andrews/Tom Rowley	+ 44 (0)161 831 1512
XCAP - Joint Broker Jon Belliss/ Adrian Kirk	[phone]

*calls to this number will reach Newgate Threadneedle, at Scancell's instruction.

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases based on its groundbreaking ImmunoBody® technology platform. Scancell's first cancer vaccine SCIB1 is being developed for the treatment of melanoma and entered clinical trials in 2010.

Treating cancer by vaccination allows small non-toxic doses of a vaccine to be administered to a patient, stimulating an immune response. Effective cancer vaccines need to target dendritic cells to stimulate both parts of the cellular immune system; the helper cell system where inflammation is stimulated at the tumour site; and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte or CTL response where immune system cells are primed to recognise and kill specific cells.

A limitation of many cancer vaccines currently in development is that they cannot specifically target dendritic cells in vivo. Several groups have demonstrated successful vaccination by growing dendritic cells ex vivo, pulsing them with tumour antigens and re-infusing them. However, this procedure is patient specific, time consuming and expensive. Scancell has developed its breakthrough patent protected ImmunoBody® technology to overcome these limitations.

An ImmunoBody® is a human antibody or fusion protein engineered to express helper cell and CTL epitopes from tumour antigens over-expressed by cancer cells. Antibodies are ideal vectors for carrying T cell epitopes from tumour antigens as they have long half-lives and can effectively target dendritic cells via their Fc receptors, allowing efficient stimulation of both helper and CTL responses.

The Immunobody® technology can be adapted to provide the basis for treating any tumour type and may also be of potential utility in the development of vaccines against hepatitis, HIV and other chronic infectious diseases.

 

END

 

 

MSCUGUACWUPPUGB