Imugene (ASX:IMU) received a notice of allowance from the Chinese patent office for City of Hope's patent application for the CD19-expressing oncolytic virus, onCARlytics, according to a Wednesday Australian bourse filing.
The patent protects the method of composition and method of use of onCARlytics through to 2038.
OnCARlytics is exclusively licensed to Imugene and is a CD19-expressing oncolytic virus that enters solid tumor cells, forcing them to express the CD19 protein on the cell surface, presenting a target for CD19-targeting therapies.
Its OASIS dose escalation trial of onCARlytics is being conducted at up to ten sites in the US, with up to around 40 patients proposed to take part.