Neelam Sharma, MS; Lakshmi Lavanya Kundurthy, BE; and Hemant N. Joshi, Ph.D., MBA* - Tara Innovations, LLC www.tara-marketing.com, *[email protected].
The purpose of this column is to highlight and summarize recent key patents in the pharmaceutical arena issued by the US Patent Office in June-July, 2023.
Tri-Specific Binding Molecules that Specifically Bind to Multiple Cancer Antigens;
E. Bonvini, P.A. Moore, J. C. Li, L.S. Johnson, and K. Shah; Macrogenics Inc., USA; U.S. Patent # 11,697,684; July 11, 2023.
The present invention relates to Tri-Specific Binding Molecules, which are multi-chain polypeptide molecules that possess three Binding Domains. These are capable of mediating coordinated binding to three epitopes - (1) an epitope of a first Cancer Antigen, (2) an epitope of a second Cancer Antigen, and (3) an epitope of a molecule that is expressed on the surface of an immune system effector cell. This immune-specific binding is capable of localizing an immune system effector cell to a cell that expresses a Cancer Antigen, so as to thereby facilitate the killing of such cancer cells. Generally, the ingredients of compositions of the invention are supplied either separately or mixed together in unit dosage form.
Echovirus for Treatment of Tumors;
C. Tong, W. Wang, J. Wan, L. Xu, X. Ye, J. Zhang, and N. Xia; Xiamen University and Yang Sheng Tang Company Ltd., China; U.S. Patent # 11,707,496; July 25, 2023.
Current methods like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy can help cancer patients but may also cause great harm to the health of patients. The emergence of oncolytic viruses provided a new therapy to possibly cure malignant tumors. An oncolytic virus can be described as a genetically engineered or naturally existing virus that can selectively replicate in cancer cells and then kill them without damaging the healthy cells. Enteroviruses are one of a kind of oncolytic viruses. The inventors of the present application found that Echovirus 25 has significant tumor cell-killing ability for specific tumors. The present patent discloses the use of an Echovirus 25 (ECHO25) or a modified form thereof, or a nucleic acid molecule comprising a genomic sequence or cDNA sequence of the ECHO25.
Factory-on-a-Chip for Production of Biologically Derived Medicines/ Biopharmaceuticals/Biologics/ Biotherapeutics;
G. Rao, Y. Kostov, A. Andar, M.Al-Adhami, S. Deldari, and D. D. Frey; University of Maryland, USA: U.S. Patent # 11,708,553; July 25, 2023.
Production of biotherapeutics involves a large-scale process chain, which includes large-volume separation, purification, formulation, packaging, and distribution. To counter the complexities and expense, maintain living organisms, and reduce production time, recent efforts have seen the use of cellular extracts as a source for biomanufacturing. The present invention provides for a fully integrated microfluidic system capable of producing single-dose amounts of biotherapeutics at the point-of-care wherein protein production, purification, and product harvest are all integrated as a single microfluidic device, which is portable and capable of continuous-flow production of biotherapeutics at the microscale using a cell-free reaction system. It has a portable “factory-on-a-chip” comprising three primary components. (i) a microfluidic bioreactor unit for synthesizing a crude protein, (ii) a microfluidic mixer/de-bubbler unit connected to the bioreactor unit to dilute the crude protein and remove any air bubbles during mixing; (iii) a microfluidic purification unit has at least one purification column to provide the purified protein. This integrated device comprising a reactor, mixer, and purification chip is connected together as one platform chip.
Antimicrobial Guanidinium and Thiouronium Functionalized Polymers;
W. Chin, J. L. Hedrick, N. L. Ibrahim, A.L.Z. Lee, R. J. Ono, Q. Xu, and Y.Y. Yang; International Business Machines Corp., USA and Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore; U.S. Patent # 11,690,380; July 4, 2023.
Currently, microbes developing drug resistance is a serious problem. Effective and unconventional antimicrobial agents have been developed in recent times. In this patent, cationic antimicrobial agents using polycarbonate and polyurethane polymer backbones were prepared, which included guanidium and thiouranium functionalities. These are broad-spectrum agents effective against gram-positive, and gram-negative bacteria and/or fungi. These agents are biodegradable and have low cytotoxicity.
Regulation of Cancer Using Natural Compounds and/or Diet;
B.A. Reynolds and L.P. Deleyrolle; University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.; USA; U.S. Patent # 11,666,549; June 6, 2023.
O.H. Warburg found that cancer cells tend to use fermentation to obtain energy even in aerobic conditions. Cancer cells take up high levels of glucose followed by glycolysis. Cancer treatment uses highly effective, but toxic drugs. The patent proposes the use of non-toxic compounds affecting the inefficient energy consumption by cancer cells. The inventors propose to use 1. Epigallocatechin-3 gallate, 2. Curcumin and 3. Glucoraphanin and/or sulforaphane along with a ketogenic diet in addition to a typical anticancer treatment. Dikon radish sprout or its extract might also be used.
Compositions with Sulfur Having Enhanced Efficacy and Aesthetics;
E.S. Johnson, B.S. Lane, S. N. Jamadagni, A.J. Yeary, and M. Caggioni; The Procter & Gamble Company, USA; U.S. Patent # 11,679,065; June 20, 2023.
The present invention is directed to personal care compositions where it has been surprisingly found that the addition of larger particles of sulfur provides strong efficacy while minimizing inherent sulfur malodor aesthetics. Conventional wisdom in the anti-dandruff shampoo category has found that achieving the maximum efficacy benefit from deposited particulate anti-dandruff (AD) actives is a function of reducing particle size and maximizing deposition on the scalp. On the contrary, it has been found that the opposite applies when working with sulfur. The present invention has shown that due to sulfur’s higher solubility in sebum, reducing its surface area on the scalp via increasing the particle size ensures a significantly longer residence time of the active on the scalp. The malodors are formed when sulfur interacts with specific chemical moieties in the skin to produce strong-smelling compounds. By minimizing the amount of sulfur that is deposited on the skin while maintaining efficacious dosing via the use of sulfur with increased particle size, the expected tradeoff between clinical performance and cosmetic acceptance can be significantly mitigated.
Chemical Ablation Formulations and Methods of Treatments for Various Diseases;
L. Wang; Neurotronic, Inc., USA; U.S. Patent # 11,684,417; June 27, 2023.
Chemical ablation is a technique in which chemical ablative substances are used to cause cell death in neoplastic tissue. The cell damage takes the form of cell membrane damage, protein denaturation, and cellular dehydration. The method involves delivering formulation and thermal energy to the target diseased tissue. The method includes inserting a needle-based balloon delivery catheter, inflating the balloon, infusing a chemical formulation at a suitable temperature and pressure, deflating the balloon, and withdrawing the catheter.
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