SELLAS Life Sciences Group Announces Notice of Allowance From US PTO for New Patent Covering Composition of Matter for WT-1 Peptides

SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. recently announced that the US PTO issued a Notice of Allowance for US Patent Application No. 14/760,997 related to certain Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) peptides. The allowed patent application, entitled Immunogenic WT-1 Peptides and Methods of Use Thereof, is part of an intellectual property portfolio exclusively licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), which includes patent applications in major international markets. Issuance of the patent will expand the scope of protection of SELLAS’ intellectual property, which includes five US patents and patent applications, as well as four international applications, which were filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, for galinpepimut-S (GPS), the company’s Wilms Tumor 1-targeting immunotherapy, and pipeline technologies.

The application includes claims to WT1 peptides having epitopes that provide further human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype coverage, potentially broadening the applicability of WT1-based treatment strategies that utilize them. The terms of patent exclusivity on the component peptides extend to at least 2033 in the US.

“Together with the other granted patents and patent applications around GPS, this new patent will provide additional exclusivity for our product candidate pipeline,” said Angelos Stergiou, MD, ScD hc, President and Chief Executive Officer of SELLAS. “This Notice of Allowance for broad composition of matter claims is another important step forward for SELLAS that further strengthens and expands our WT1 intellectual property portfolio and regulatory exclusivity positions.”

SELLAS’ licensed patent portfolio includes several granted patents and pending patent applications in the US and across Europe covering the peptide components of GPS, individually and in combination, as well as methods of using the peptides for the treatment of WT1-expressing cancers. Patents have been granted in the US and across Europe with composition of matter claims covering each of the four peptides, individually and in combination, as well as methods of use covering treatment for cancer indications that SELLAS is pursuing in clinical trials.

GPS is a multi-component composition composed of four peptides derived from the WT1 protein, which has been ranked by the National Cancer Institute as a top priority among cancer antigens for immunotherapy. Importantly, because the WT1 antigen is over-expressed in many malignancies, and is not found in most normal tissues, GPS has the potential to be a broad immunotherapy, effective across a multitude of diverse cancer types and patient populations.

SELLAS is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel cancer immunotherapeutics for a broad range of cancer indications. SELLAS’ lead product candidate, galinpepimut-S (GPS), is licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and targets the Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) protein, which is present in an array of tumor types. GPS has potential as a monotherapy or in combination to address a broad spectrum of hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications. GPS has Phase 3 clinical trials planned (pending funding availability) for two indications, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). It is also in development as a potential treatment for multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer. SELLAS plans to study GPS in up to four additional indications. SELLAS has received Orphan Drug designations from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the European Medicines Agency, for GPS in AML and MPM; GPS also received Fast Track designation for AML and MPM from the FDA. For more information, visit www.sellaslifesciences.com.