(Might Coley have a claim for royalties if genasense gets approved ?)
Coley Pharmaceutical Group Granted Broad Patent for Use of Oligonucleotides to Stimulate Immune Response
Tuesday April 27, 10:10 am ET
Patent covers drugs for cancers, infectious diseases and vaccines
WELLESLEY, Mass., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent 6,727,230 titled "Immune Stimulation by Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotide Analogs". The patent broadly protects the use of oligonucleotides containing at least one phosphorothioate linkage to stimulate cellular immune responses. The patent covers a wide range of immunostimulatory oligonucleotides, including, but not limited to, CpG TLR9 agonists, the basis of Coley's lead products ProMune(TM) and Actilon(TM). The patent covers such molecules in a wide range of applications for immune stimulation, including treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious diseases, both as monotherapy and in combination with other therapies.
"This patent further expands Coley's dominant position in the field of immune stimulatory oligonucleotides," commented Robert L. Bratzler, Ph.D., Coley President and Chief Executive Officer.
The technology covered in patent 6,727,230 is part of the patent estate acquired by Coley from Isis Pharmaceuticals in 2000. To date, Coley has been granted twelve U.S. Patents covering immunostimulatory oligonucleotides and CpG TLR9 agonists. Coley has more than 85 additional patent applications pending in the U.S. and abroad.
About Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is an international biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes TLR Therapeutics(TM), a new class of drugs that direct the human immune system to treat cancers, viral diseases, asthma and allergy. Coley has four products in clinical stage development targeting major disease indications including cancer (non-small cell lung cancer, malignant melanoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), chronic hepatitis C (HCV), and asthma and allergy. Coley has partnered programs with Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Chiron Corporation and the US Government. Coley is headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, and has research and development laboratories in Langenfeld, Germany and Ottawa, Canada. For further information, please visit www.coleypharma.com. |
