GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexImmune, an emerging leader in the field of antigen-directed immunotherapy, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a new method of use patent to Johns Hopkins University related to the Company’s E+E (T cell Enrichment and Enhancement) technology for which NexImmune holds an exclusive license from Johns Hopkins. This further enhances the company’s AIM technology intellectual property portfolio and provides broad intellectual property rights protecting key aspects of the company’s lead product AIM ACT, an adoptive T cellular therapy for the treatment of cancer.
“Using our proprietary E+E technology to generate antigen-specific T cells represents a uniquely differentiated approach to expanding polyclonal T cells that are highly antigen-specific, highly polyfunctional and with a phenotypic composition optimized for anti-tumor cytotoxicity, proliferative capacity and long-term immunologic memory. We believe our AIM E+E generated T cell products have the potential to address some of the clinical limitations observed with currently available genetically modified T cell therapies. Our hope is that these differences translate into meaningful benefit for patients suffering from a variety of hematological malignancies,” commented Scott Carmer, Chief Executive Officer of NexImmune. “Ensuring a robust intellectual property position around E+E is inherent to advancing the program and the claims granted in this patent exemplify the novel science behind this exciting technology.”
U.S. patent 10,098,939 adds to previously issued U.S. and international counterpart patents and patent applications that form NexImmune’s AIM patent portfolio. Claims were granted on the ability of E+E to expand large numbers of antigen-specific T cells from the body’s endogenous T cell repertoire. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that cells generated using E+E have a large proportion of highly functional central and effector memory T cells which the company believes will provide both a potent immediate therapeutic benefit for cancer patients and an enhanced durability of response compared to currently approved adoptive T cell therapies. NexImmune plans to advance its AIM ACT platform into early phase clinical trials in 2019.
About NexImmune
NexImmune is a biopharmaceutical company with a mission to help cure cancer by directing T cell function using precision technology and personalized therapeutics. The Company’s proprietary AIM Technology uses artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (aAPC) to create highly targeted T cell-based immunotherapies. In preclinical studies, aAPC have demonstrated the ability to clear established tumors by expanding antigen-specific T cells when injected directly (in vivo) or when used as part of an ex vivo cellular expansion system. For more information visit: www.neximmune.com
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a NexImmune partner for the clinical development of AIM ACT.
