Medigene AG Secures Two Additional Patents for Technologies in Its End-to-End Platform

Planegg/Martinsried, August 29, 2024. Medigene AG (Medigene or the “Company”, FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard), an oncology platform company focused on the research and development of T cell receptor (TCR)-guided therapies for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the Company has been issued a patent by the European Patent Office protecting its JOVI technology, a method allowing the enrichment of T cells using a specific anti-Cβ antibody.

In addition, a further patent has been granted by the Hong Kong Patent Office, protecting its inducible Medigene T cell receptor (iM-TCR) technology, a control mechanism to modulate efficacy and improve safety of T cell receptor engineered T cell (TCR-T) therapies. This complements previously granted patents from the European and Japan Patent Offices.

“Over the years, we have diligently established a comprehensive international intellectual property portfolio in key markets, which we anticipate will offer a substantial competitive edge. The patents granted for our proprietary JOVI and iM-TCR technologies enhance our End-to-End (E2E) Platform and underline our commitment to advancing TCR-guided therapies for the treatment of cancer,” said Dolores Schendel, CSO at Medigene. “Central to our extensive expertise in T cell immunology is our capability to generate optimal TCRs. These potential best-in-class specific, sensitive, and safe (3S) TCRs show great potential for application across various modalities, including TCR-T therapies, as well as TCR-T cell engagers and TCR-natural killer cell therapies.”

iM-TCR Technology

TCR-T therapies are effective at killing tumor cells, but if T cells are activated too much, they can become exhausted or die prematurely. This overactivation can also cause excessive immune responses, leading to inflammation and other harmful effects in the body. The iM-TCR technology addresses this issue by engineering the TCR so that its activity can be controlled by altering its presence or not, on the cell surface. This enables fine-tuned or “inducible” regulation of its activity against tumor cells, lowering the chances of inflammatory side effects. This technology enhances our current TCR-T therapy assets and has the potential to be applied to other TCR-guided approaches.

JOVI Technology

The selection of optimal 3S TCRs is crucial for developing TCR-guided therapies, such as TCR-T therapies, with enhanced safety and efficacy. The Company's innovative JOVI technology employs a high-throughput comparison approach, facilitating the enrichment of recombinant TCR-expressing T cells. This allows for straightforward comparison of their efficacy and safety profiles, ensuring the generation of superior TCR-T therapies, but also allows for their utilization in other TCR-guided modalities like TCR-T cell engagers or TCR-natural killer cell therapies.