By Donald Zuhn —

On Tuesday Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced that it had been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,252,817.  The ‘817 patent, which relates to methods for treating cell proliferative disorders such as neoplasms by administering modified modified herpes simplex viruses (HSV) to proliferating cells having an activated Ras-pathway, was the twenty-second U.S. patent to be awarded to the Calgary-based biotech company.

According to the statement released by Oncolytics, the ‘817 patent expands the company’s intellectual property portfolio to viruses other than reovirus.  Oncolytics focuses on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics.  As we reported previously, Oncolytics has had an ongoing clinical program related to the use of REOLYSIN®, Oncolytics’ proprietary formulation of the human reovirus (Respiratory Enteric Orphan virus), alone or in combination with radiation or chemotherapy, for the treatment of a number of human tumors, including colorectal, prostate, pancreatic and non-small cell lung, melanoma, and ovarian cancers.

The ‘817 patent issued from U.S. Application No. 10/418,290, filed April 13, 2003, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/164,878, filed November 12, 1999.  Representative independent claim 1 of the ‘817 patent recites:

1.  A method for treating a neoplasm in a mammal, comprising the steps of:

(a)  selecting a mammal with a neoplasm wherein cells of the neoplasm are unable to activate a PKR-mediated response to viral infection; and

(b)  administering to the cells of the neoplasm an effective amount of at least one modified HSV under conditions that result in substantial lysis of the cells of the neoplasm, wherein in the modified HSV, the gamma1-34.5 gene is lacking, inhibited or mutated such that PKR activation is not blocked.

For additional information concerning this and other related topics, please see:

• "Oncolytics Announces Grant of Viral Purification Patent," June 7, 2007
• "Oncolytics Announces Issuance of Reovirus Production Patent," April 10, 2007
• "Oncolytics Announces Issuance of Neoplastic Cell Sensitization Patent," April 5, 2007