October 12, 2020 -- The European Patent Office has granted a patent to clinical stage immuno-oncology firm Targovax for use of its modified adenovirus in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapeutics.
Modified oncolytic adenovirus ONCOS-102 is Targovax's leading product candidate. The patent to use ONCOS-102 with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitors strengthens the company's intellectual property portfolio, according to Torbjørn Furuseth, Targovax's chief financial officer.
Targovax engineered the virus to selectively infect cancer cells and aid the immune system in combating cancer. The candidate produced encouraging data in part one of a 2019 clinical trial on patients with melanoma, according to the company. Data from part two of the clinical trial is expected later in 2020. The company's lead candidate is also be evaluated in clinical trials for patients with mesothelioma, melanoma, ovarian, and colorectal cancers as both a monotherapy and in combination with other cancer treatments.