By Jason Derry

ARIUS Research Inc. has announced that two new U.S. patents relating to its anti-cancer antibody program have issued.  U.S. Patent No. 7,175,846 specifically relates to methods of treating cancer using antibodies that destroy melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer cells while ignoring normal cells.  Representative independent claim 2 recites:

2.  A method of treating a human breast or prostate tumor in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal an isolated monoclonal antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof which binds to the same epitope as the monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited with the ATCC as accession number PTA-4890, wherein said administration is in an amount effective to induce cytotoxicity and thereby reduce said mammal’s tumor burden.

U.S. Patent No. 7,186,808 encompasses a particular antibody that destroys breast and prostate cancer cells, as well as a method for treating breast cancer.  Representative independent claims 1 and 10 recite:

1.  The isolated monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited with the ATCC as Accession Number PTA-4889.

10.  A method of treating a breast tumor in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal the isolated monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited with the ATCC as accession number PTA-4889 or an antigen binding fragment produced from said isolated monoclonal antibody, in an amount effective to reduce said mammal’s tumor burden.

ARIUS discovers antibodies using its proprietary FunctionFIRST® platform, which involves high-throughput functional screening for antibodies that bind to cancer cell antigens and that selectively kill or inhibit growth of the cancer cells.