Intellectual Property
VIRxSYS has developed an extensive portfolio of intellectual property which is protected by a combination of patents, pending patent applications, trade secrets, and trademark law. The issued patents, pending applications and trade secrets cover lentiviral vectors, cell processing and RNA trans-splicing technology.
The Company currently has 12 issued U.S. patents and 52 issued foreign patents with claims relating to, among other things, lentiviral vectors and related manufacturing methods. In addition the Company has approximately 76 foreign and domestic patent applications currently undergoing prosecution. The Company also has a patent portfolio related to its SMaRT™ RNA technologies. This patent portfolio contains 4 issued U.S. patents covering the core technology and one patent recently issued covering the use of PTMs for a particular use. This portfolio also contains 19 foreign patents, 10 pending U.S. applications, and approximately 40 foreign pending applications worldwide. Below is a list of the Company’s issued patents in the United States.
Lentiviral Vector Related Patents
| Issue Date | Patent | Title | |
| March 23, 1999 | 5,885,806 | Methods To Prepare Conditionally Replicating Viral Vectors | |
| March 30, 1999 | 5,888,767 | Method Of Using Conditionally Replicating Viral Vectors To Express A Gene | |
| September 5, 2000 | 6,114,141 | Methods To Express Genes From Viral Vectors | |
| January 2, 2001 | 6,168,953 | Genetic Antiviral Agents And Methods For Their Use | |
| March 27, 2001 | 6,207,426 | Conditionally Replicating Viral Vectors And Their Use | |
| May 15, 2001 | 6,232,120 | Methods To Inhibit Replication Of Infective Virus | |
| June 25, 2002 | 6,410,257 | Methods To Determine The Function Of A Gene Using Conditionally Replicating Viral Vectors | |
| December 24, 2002 | 6,498,033 | HIV-Based Vectors That Express Any Heterologous Genetic Payload From The HIV-LTR Promoter | |
| September 30, 2003 | 6,627,442 | Methods For Stable Transduction Of Cells With HIV-Derived Viral Vectors | |
| December 28, 2004 | 6,835,568 | Regulated Nucleic Acid And Expression System | |
| September 23, 2008 | 7,427,474 | High-Throughput Methods for Identifying Gene Function Using Lentiviral Vectors | |
| August 11, 2009 | 7,572,906 | Viral Vectors and Host Cells and Methods of Making and Using Them | |
| SMaRT™ RNA Related Patents |
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| Issue Date | Patent | Title | |
| January 11, 2000 | 6,013,487 | Chimeric RNA Molecules Generated By Trans-Splicing | |
| Jully 4, 2000 | 6,083,702 | Methods And Compositions For Use In Spliceosome Mediated RNA Trans-Splicing | |
| August 28, 2001 | 6,280,978 | Methods And Compositions For Use In Spliceosome Mediated RNA Trans-Splicing | |
| August 22, 2006 | 7,094,399 | Use Of Spliceosome Mediated RNA Trans-Splicing To Confer Cell Selective Replication To Adenoviruses | |
| July 15, 2008 | 7,399,753 | Trans-Splicing Mediated Photodynamic Therapy | |
| January 18, 2011 | 7,871,795 | Targeted Trans-splicing of Highly Abundant Transcripts for In Vivo Production of Recombinant Proteins | |
| February 11, 2011 | 7,879,321 | Use of RNA Trans-Splicing for Antibody Gene Transfer and Antibody Polypeptide Production | |
| June 28, 2011 | 7,968,334 | Expression of apoA-1 and Variants Thereof Using Spliceosome Mediated RNA Trans-Splicing | |
As mentioned above, in addition to the Company’s patent estate, VIRxSYS has extensive intellectual property which is protected by well established trade secret law. Such intellectual property includes extensive manufacturing processes and techniques which have not been published or patented. These trade secrets, which have been accumulated, advanced and refined with years of clinical manufacturing experience, represent an important component in the Company’s intellectual property and competitive advantage.
"VIRxSYS has a powerful portfolio of technology in lentiviral vectors and cell process manufacturing which we protect with a combination of patents and trade secret laws."
Gary McGarrity, Senior Advisor Scientific and Clinical Affairs