News

Lipoxen reports significant progress in the development of its DNA vaccine delivery patent portfolio

12 February 2008

US grant one of Lipoxen’s foundation patents which forms the basis of ImuXen technology.

London, UK, 12 February 2008 – Lipoxen PLC, (AIM:LPX) a bio-pharmaceutical company specialising in the development of high value differentiated biologicals, vaccines and oncology drugs, announces today that one of its cornerstone patents (No 10/617734) has been allowed in the US, following on from it being granted in Europe and other territories.

The patent covers the encapsulation of DNA inside a liposome. This protects the DNA from enzyme degradation and allows more efficient DNA delivery to the immune system which results in the vaccination being more effective. DNA vaccines have a number of advantages over traditional products, including safety, ease of manufacture and a reduced cost.

ImuXen, Lipoxen’s advanced enabling technology, has built further on this advancement as it allows the co-delivery of both DNA vaccine and the protein it encodes. The advantage of the follow-on ImuXen technology, which is being used in the development of a candidate vaccine for hepatitis B and E (HepaXen) by Lipoxen, is that by encapsulating both the DNA and the protein it encodes an even more enhanced immune response can be generated. Studies with a hepatitis E vaccine candidate have already shown the generation of strong protective immune responses in a relevant model.

Lipoxen has been granted patents on the liposomal encapsulation of DNA in Europe and China, and HepaXen is being developed with Lipoxen’s partner, the Serum Institute of India.

The US patent that has been granted will act to protect Lipoxen’s position in the field of DNA vaccine delivery technology and will help ensure that its advanced ImuXen technology will continue to be at the forefront of novel vaccine development.

M. Scott Maguire, CEO of Lipoxen, said:

‘Lipoxen is pleased that the novelty and utility of its DNA vaccine technology has been recognised by the grant of a key US patent. While we imagine that many DNA vaccines may benefit from ImuXen’s co-delivery approach, some may also generate effective immune responses based on liposomal DNA alone. The intellectual property portfolio that Lipoxen is continually developing in the vaccine delivery area should enable Lipoxen to carve out an important position in the development of novel vaccines which address some of the world’s most infectious diseases. With the progress we are continuing to make in DNA vaccine delivery technology coupled with the first clinical data for our two most advanced high-value differentiated protein biologicals expected before mid 2008, Lipoxen is well positioned for the future in both protein drug and vaccine fields.’