• 10/21/2004
  • Austin, TX
  • no attribution
  • Austin Business Journal

Austin-based Introgen Therapeutics Inc. has licensed a patent that covers several methods for administering its anticancer therapy to patients. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent number 6,805,858, entitled “Methods for the Administration of Adenovirus p53,” to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System. The patent is exclusively licensed to Introgen.

In 2003, Introgen’s investigational drug, Advexin, was granted “fast track” designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for head and neck cancer. The new patent covers methods by which Advexin can be administered.

The patent is directed to various routes of administration of adenoviral p53, including nearly all the routes currently being used for adenoviral delivery, such as direct administration to the tumor or body region where the tumor is located, as well as systemic, intravenous or intratracheal delivery.

“This patent represents yet another important step in our Advexin portfolio development, which has been to issue both broader and narrow patents covering all aspects of adenoviral compositions and clinical therapy,” says David Parker, Introgen’s vice president of intellectual property.

Unlike other viral delivery systems, adenoviruses, which have been used for years in the vaccine field, do not mix with a patient’s DNA, according to Introgen. Instead, they are genetically altered so they are unable to replicate in humans. Adenoviruses also have properties that allow for commercial scale manufacturing.

Introgen develops biopharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The company conducts research, development, manufacturing, clinical and regulatory activities at its Austin headquarters.