Virax files prostate cancer therapy patent
Tuesday, 02 July, 2002
Immune-based drug developer Virax Holdings (ASX:VHL) has announced it had filed a patent relating to a potential new prostate cancer therapy.
The development came 10 months to the day after Virax entered into a collaboration with the Royal Adelaide Hospital's Cancer Centre to develop an immune-based therapy for the disease.
Describing the step as a milestone, the company said it had filed the patent on June 21. CEO Dr David Beames said in a statement that the company's early development work was progressing well, with pre-clinical trials planned for early next year.
The prostate project, being conducted with RAH's Dr Michael Brown, is utilising Virax's platform Co-X-Gene technology in a fowlpox virus vector. At the time the collaboration was struck in August last year, Virax said it had a short list of leads that were to undergo testing in the quest for a lead drug candidate.
A spokesperson for the company was unavailable to comment on the new patent today.
The program represents the second product in Virax's portfolio, the other being a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of an HIV treatment. The Melbourne company is also involved in investigating new therapies for other cancers, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders.
Russia insists there is "no plague case" following lab worker death
Russian health authorities say there is no evidence that pneumonic plague played a part in the...
Scientists 'reprogram' tumour-supporting immune cells
The approach, by an Australian team, uses lipid nanoparticles to target a type of immune cell...
Existing medicines could help treat deadly childhood dementia
Australian researchers have identified several existing TGA‑approved medicines that could help...
