Melbourne, Australia, 12 June 2024 –  Cartherics Pty Ltd (“Cartherics” or “Company”), a biotechnology company developing immune cell therapies for the treatment of cancer, is pleased to announce that it has been granted its first Australian patent, AU2016361451, entitled “Genetically modified cells and uses thereof”, providing patent support for multiple development candidates in the Company’s pipeline.

This patent enhances Cartherics’ expanding intellectual property portfolio and covers aspects of the Company’s chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology, particularly in relation to its CAR directed against the tumour-associated antigen, TAG-72.  TAG-72 is highly expressed on a range of adenocarcinomas, including ovarian and gastric cancers. The patent issuance marks a significant milestone in developing innovative, new treatments for these cancers.

The Australian patent is part of a broader patent family, with applications for similar protection filed in key jurisdictions such as the US, Japan, and Europe. In addition, Cartherics has also filed a divisional application covering other aspects of this invention.

This granted patent provides Cartherics protection for its TAG-72 CAR construct. T cells or natural killer (NK) cells carrying the CAR have demonstrated as compelling efficacy against human ovarian cell lines, in both in vitro and in vivo. The Company’s lead product CTH-401, incorporates the TAG-72 CAR and the initial indication for this product is relapsed or refractory ovarian cancer, where over 90 percent of tumours are TAG-72 positive.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in women diagnosed with gynaecological cancers and also the fifth most leading cause of death in women, in general. Targeting these tumours with novel cellular immunotherapies will help address the unmet need for new treatment options for these patients. The global ovarian cancer treatment drugs market size was valued at US$2.50 billion in 2023 and the worldwide ovarian cancer treatment drugs market size is expected to reach US$5.45 billion by 2033.[i]

Cartherics’ CEO, Prof. Alan Trounson AO, commented: “The award of this patent strengthens our global position in cancer therapy and potentially other intractable disease conditions. This creates a very good position for the Company”.

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About Cartherics

Cartherics is a privately held biotechnology company based in Melbourne, Australia that is rearming the body’s immune system to fight cancer.  It is developing cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, with a portfolio of CAR-T and CAR-NK cell products.  The Company’s allogeneic (“off-the-shelf”) cell platform is based upon induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from donated cord blood that can be differentiated into NK cells, T cells and other cells of the immune system.  The iPSCs are genetically engineered at specific “safe harbour” genomic sites to provide enhanced function for the derived NK and other immune cells.  The Company’s lead product, CTH-401, is a CAR-NK cell product.  It carries a CAR directed against TAG-72, a well-validated tumour target, along with the deletion of two genes associated with immunosuppression.

https://cartherics.com/

Media contact

Christine Filippis

Teraze Communications

Phone: +61 419 119 866

Email: christine@teraze.com.au

[i] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/global-ovarian-cancer-treatment-drugs-180000109.html