ASX-listed Chimeric Therapeutics has been granted an Indian patent for its chlorotoxin (CLTX) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapies as it closes in on getting the same protection in Israel for its cell treatment for patients with glioblastoma.
It represents another positive development for the treatment of the disease which often starts in the spinal cord or brain and becomes a fast-growing tumour. It is regarded as the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
Chimeric’s new patent in India covers particular applications of its company’s technology which uses CLTX, an amino acid peptide derived from deathstalker scorpion venom that it has utilised for its cancer fighting treatments.
The patent has been granted under number “IN 424963” and entitled “Chimeric antigen receptors containing a chlorotoxin domain”.
The company now appears poised to add to its level of protection with the Israel Patent Office issuing an Official Notification Prior to Acceptance for its latest application.
Chimeric chief executive officer and managing director Jennifer Chow said: “We are delighted to have patent protection granted for CLTX CAR therapies in India and shortly in Israel as we continue to expand the robust intellectual property portfolio underpinning our CLTX CAR pipeline assets.”
Melbourne-based Chimeric has the exclusive global rights to intellectual property covering CHM 1101, which is also known as the CLTX CAR T cells. The company believes its cellular therapies have the promise to cure cancer, not just delay disease progression.
CAR T therapy involves taking T cells from a patient’s blood and adding CAR to help them attach to the cancer cell.
Chimeric believes CLTX CAR T is a first-in-class therapy with the potential to address the unmet medical need of patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma. CLTX previously grabbed headlines due to its innovative origin story, as it is a peptide derived from scorpion toxin now being used as the tumour-targeting component of the CAR.
Earlier this week, the globe-spanning company received ethical approval in the United States to start a multi-site phase 1B clinical trial of the company’s CHM 1101 cell treatment. Chimeric says the approval development will see a two-part clinical study enrolling patients across multiple clinical trial sites in the US.
With the scourge and spread of cancer unhindered by international borders, Chimeric appears determined to take its fight around the globe as it searches for a knockout blow.
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By Steve Kaless
