Aduro BioTech Patent Upheld by USPTO

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aduro BioTech, Inc. announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has confirmed the patentability of its U.S. Patent 7,842,289 (‘289 patent) at the successful conclusion of an ex parte reexamination proceeding initiated by Advaxis Incorporated (OTCBB: ADXS). During the proceeding, the USPTO rejected Advaxis’ assertions of invalidity, and confirmed that the claims are patentable as originally issued and without amendment. The proceeding has now completed with the issuance of Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate US 7,842,289 C1 on November 1, 2011.

“and this reexamination provides further validation of the strength of our intellectual property position. We will continue to build the value of our IP portfolio as we advance our proprietary technology towards commercialization.”

Aduro’s ’289 patent relates to Aduro’s proprietary Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) platform that is used in Aduro's live-attenuated vaccine strains. Aduro’s technology enhances the expression of antigens by the bacterium, which in turn has been shown to increase potency of the induced immune response. “We have built a broad portfolio of patents to protect our platform,” said Thomas Dubensky, Chief Scientific Officer of Aduro BioTech, “and this reexamination provides further validation of the strength of our intellectual property position. We will continue to build the value of our IP portfolio as we advance our proprietary technology towards commercialization.”

Aduro’s intellectual property portfolio includes a number of issued patents, both in the United States and in various foreign countries, related to company’s proprietary Listeria platform. The intellectual property includes patents and patent applications directed to methods for attenuating the Listeria bacterium to improve its safety in vaccine formulations; methods for expression of disease-related antigens for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes; nucleic acid constructs; and the vaccine bacteria themselves. Aduro has also entered into a number of strategic licensing arrangements with both universities and commercial entities that augment the company’s own patent portfolio and enhance the ability to develop the proprietary Listeria platform.

About Aduro BioTech

Aduro BioTech is a clinical-stage company that is advancing multiple therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases based on its proprietary attenuated Listeria monocytogenes-based vaccine platforms. The company recently announced a series B private equity financing in excess of $19 million for the clinical development of novel immunotherapies for cancers representing significant unmet medical need. The company's proprietary Listeria-based vaccine platforms have been validated by more than 20 major publications that illustrate the platform's unique combination of safety and potency, by multiple issued U.S. patents and by more than $20 million in federal and private grant and contract funding. Aduro is currently evaluating its lead therapeutic, CRS-207, in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.