Neogenix Oncology announced today that the company has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) for the 16C3 antigen. The Company believes that this antigen is tumor specific for pancreatic and colorectal tumors; and, based on preliminary clinical data, may also have diagnostic utility as a biomarker for these cancers.
The Company believes, based on in vitro and animal studies, that the 16C3 antibody has anti-tumor activity for both pancreatic and colorectal tumors, and may have both therapeutic and diagnostic utility. The antibody may have activity in other tumors as well, which the company intends to explore as it moves towards preparation of a pre-IND package for FDA review and design of a 16C3 antibody clinical trial.
"There is an ongoing need to identify new targets and to develop new diagnostic tools and novel therapies for life-threatening illnesses, especially colorectal and pancreatic cancer, where opportunities exist to significantly improve treatment outcomes and survival rates. The goal of our program is to discover and develop compounds/products that are highly specific, are well differentiated, and that may someday lead to improved diagnostics and therapeutics. Future research with 16C3 will determine if this antibody will meet those criteria," said Neogenix President and Chief Executive Officer, Philip M. Arlen, MD.
The USPTO recently issued a Notice of Allowance for the Company's patent application related to the 16C3 antibody. The USPTO previously issued a patent for the company's NPC-1C monoclonal antibody and has allowed claims in a related divisional patent application relating to the genes encoding the novel molecular aspects of NPC-1C. The Company has also recently filed a patent application with the USPTO for the NPC-1C antigen.
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