MannKind gets key patents related to its cancer immunotherapy products

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Feb. 9 - MannKind Corp. announced late Wednesday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company two key patents relating to a method for inducing a cytotoxic T cell response that will be used with the company's cancer immunotherapy products.

MannKind is in late-stage preclinical testing of therapeutic vaccines for treatment of colorectal, renal, ovarian, pancreatic and breast cancers. The company said it believes these vaccines will likely improve outcomes for a substantial portion of patients suffering from these cancers, according to a company news release.

U.S. Patent 6,994,851, issued Tuesday, claims methods of obtaining a sustained cytotoxic T cell response by delivery of antigen to the lymphatic system, particularly intranodally, and maintaining the antigen in the lymphatic system over time. The method allows for the prolongation of the effector phase of the cytotoxic T cell response and can be applied to the treatment of cancer and chronic infections, officials said.

U.S. Patent 6,977,074, issued Dec. 20, claims methods of inducing a cytotoxic T cell response by delivering antigen directly to a lymph node or lymph vessel. Direct intralymphatic administration enables more efficient induction of cytotoxic T cell responses than can generally be obtained using more conventional routes of administration with any amount of antigen. This can be particularly advantageous when using DNA vaccines or small peptides to provide antigen, officials said.

"The issuance of these patents provides a strong proprietary foundation for our cancer immunotherapy program. Intralymphatic delivery greatly increases the number of cytotoxic T cell's against the cancer cells, wherever they may be in the body. In this way the body's natural immune system destroys the cancer without harm to normal cells and should improve efficacy and safety without the serious side effects of other current therapies," David Diamond, director of intellectual property for MannKind, said in the release.

MannKind is a Valencia, Calif., biopharmaceutical company that focuses on development and commercialization of therapeutic products for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Its lead investigational product candidate, the Technosphere Insulin System, is in phase 3 clinical trials in the United States and Europe to study its safety and efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. The company said it expects to begin a phase 1 clinical trial of an immunotherapy for carcinoma later this year.

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