TxCell announces five new patents for core technology and ASTrIA platform

TxCell SA, a biotech developing innovative, personalized cell-based immunotherapies using antigen-specific regulatory T-cells (Ag-Tregs) for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announces that five new patents for their technologies have been issued in the Unites States, Asia and Australia since the beginning of 2014.

These five new patents cover an important part of TxCell’s core technology and ASTrIA platform. These patents strengthen TxCell’s intellectual property positioning and competitive advantage.

The most recent patent, US 881553, has been granted in the USA on August 26 2014. This patent is for the TxCell method of assessing the efficacy of an antigen-specific Type 1 Treg cell therapy in a patient. The patent is a key asset for the company as it forms an important part of TxCell’s innovative business model. The ability to use this method to determine responder from non-responder patients after the first administration of TxCell’s cellular immunotherapies would further increase the value of TxCell technologies and as a result, provide a powerful tool in future discussions with payers. TxCell will use this method during the forthcoming phase IIb clinical study with the company’s lead product Ovasave(R) in severe refractory Crohn’s disease patients.

The patent JP 5502322 granted in Japan describes a method for the isolation of a food- or auto-antigen specific Type 1 Treg cell population. This Japanese patent is, as well, of strategic importance for TxCell as it protects the first step of the TxCell proprietary manufacturing process for making unique personalized cellular immunotherapies.

The further patents granted are respectively for use of antigen specific Type 1 Treg cell populations for treating multiple sclerosis, granted in China, and for the use of pharmaceutical compositions comprising Type 1 Treg cells and mesenchymal stem cells in combination, granted in Japan and Australia.

"TxCell has dedicated years of effort in research and development to establish a robust intellectual property portfolio. This patent coverage will be critical for our ongoing efforts to make cellular immunotherapies available to the large number of patients with a variety of conditions with unmet medical need that are waiting for innovative therapeutic options," said Damian Marron, Chief Executive Officer of TxCell.

We believe these valuable new patents are an essential addition to our patent collection. TxCell now owns or controls a total of more than 140 granted patents in the field of antigen-specific Treg cell-based therapy, with dozens of additional patents pending. These will provide the company with very strong protection for its ASTrIA platform and portfolio of cellular immunotherapy treatments. We will continue to actively patent new discoveries to further protect and extend our innovative technology and products.

About TxCell

TxCell is developing innovative personalized cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of severe chronic inflammatory diseases with high medical need using its unique and proprietary ASTrIA technology platform based on the properties of autologous antigen-specific regulatory T lymphocytes (Ag-Tregs). The company has completed a phase I/IIa study of its lead product candidate, Ovasave^® in refractory Crohn’s disease patients and has reported good tolerability and positive clinical efficacy. The company plans to initiate a phase IIb study in the same patient population. TxCell has a strategic partnership for Ovasave^® with the Swiss company Ferring International Center. Listed on Euronext-Paris, TxCell, a spin-off of Inserm (France’s National Institute for Health and Medical Research) is located in the Sophia Antipolis technology park, Nice, France. The company has 43 employees based at its headquarters and at its manufacturing site in Besançon. For more information, please visit www.txcell.com.