Biotechnology company Pluri has announced the issuance of a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its immune cell expansion technologies.
The patent covers mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, which play a crucial role in the body’s defence against infection and support tissue repair.
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The company also announced the issuance of a patent in Israel.
The company’s MAIT cells have been isolated from human placentas and are unconventional immune T cells suitable for treating solid tumours.
These cells exhibit a lower alloreactivity profile and reduce the risk of inducing Graft versus host disease.
They offer significant benefits over conventional T cells and hold promise for immunotherapy. However, expanding them outside the human body has long been a major hurdle.
Pluri believes that it has now addressed this challenge, drawing on its 20 years of cell expertise.
Entitled “System and Methods For Immune Cells Expansion and Activation In Large Scale,” the patents concentrate on large-scale culturing and activation method of immune cells within the company’s 3D cell expansion bioreactors.
Pluri’s total intellectual property (IP) estate currently involves more than 250 allowed, granted and pending patents.
Pluri president and CEO Yaky Yanay stated: “These latest granted patents, which further fortify our growing IP around MAIT cells, are very timely as the US Food and Drug Administration has recently approved tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and T Cell receptor-engineered T cell therapies for the treatment of solid cancers.
“We believe that MAIT cells represent an emerging field with significant potential in immunotherapy, and we believe that our unmatched ability to scale production of MAIT cells, combined with our growing IP portfolio, positions Pluri for collaborations that can potentially deliver immune therapies to people in need.”
In 2023, the company signed a three-year $4.2m contract with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the US Department of Defense for developing its cell therapy avoplacel for treating haematopoietic acute radiation syndrome or radiation poisoning.
