BiVictriX files four new cancer therapy patents in UK

Cancer therapy-focussed biotechnology company BiVictriX Therapeutics has filed four new patent applications in the UK, it announced on Monday, related to several novel cancer-specific antigen pairs - or ‘fingerprints’ - across a range of oncology indications.

The AIM-traded firm said the new patent applications focussed on three novel cancer-specific antigen fingerprints that it had identified, and could be used to support the development of a pipeline of highly-selective cancer therapeutics using its proprietary ‘Bi-Cygni’ approach.

It said the patents would further strengthen the company’s growing intellectual property portfolio, and provide opportunities to widen the application of the Bi-Cygni technology across several solid tumour and haematological cancers, demonstrating the “broad utility” of the approach.

The filings were the next step in the firm’s strategy to broaden its patent portfolio, both in the UK and internationally.

BiVictriX explained that its approach to cancer therapies relied on using its proprietary library of cancer-specific antigen co-expression fingerprints, or ‘twin antigens’, which are uniquely expressed on cancer.

The company said its pipeline of Bi-Cygni therapeutics was designed to selectively target those twin antigens, which are present on tumour cells and largely absent from healthy cells, enabling the development of a novel class of next-generation anti-cancer therapies with “potentially superior” cancer selectivity, and a “significantly reduced” side-effect profile.

That approach had the potential to deliver better treatment outcomes for patients, BiVictriX claimed.

“We are excited to be expanding our existing patent portfolio across a wider range of cancer types that currently constitute areas of high unmet medical need, demonstrating the broad utility of our innovative Bi-Cygni platform,” said chief executive officer Tiffany Thorn.

“The new patents, if approved, will provide broad protection for our pipeline assets, allowing the development of several generations of cancer-selective Bi-Cygni therapeutics across a wide range of solid tumour and haematological cancers that constitute areas of urgent unmet need.

“I look forward to providing further updates regarding the application for these new patents as appropriate.”

At 0852 GMT, shares in BiVictriX Therapeutics were up 10.2% at 27p.