CEL-SCI awarded patent for peptide vaccine technology for autoimmune conditions, allergies

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Feb. 28 - CEL-SCI Corp. said it has been issued a U.S. patent covering its Leaps (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) peptide vaccine technology in the areas of autoimmunity and allergies.

The new patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,995,237, is titled, "Preparation and composition of peptides useful for treatment of autoimmune and transplant related graft versus host conditions," according to a company news release.

The new patent is based on work by CEL-SCI scientists and others demonstrating that pretreatment and early therapy of experimental autoimmune myocarditis with a Leaps compound resulted in reduction in heart enlargement and disease-associated histopathological changes in mice.

"These studies showed that we are able to treat mice with ongoing heart disease," CEL-SCI senior vice president research, cellular immunology, Dr. Daniel H. Zimmerman said in the release.

"This may lead to treatment of autoimmune myocarditis in humans where the disease process is similar to the animal model being studied and reported here. The issuance of a U.S. patent protecting our novel work is very critical to our effort."

A common thread among common autoimmune diseases, such as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis is an immune response that perceives the person's own body, cells and organs as foreign. As a result, the person's immune system attacks the body.

According to CEL-SCI, the Leaps vaccine is intended to redirect the immune response away from the harmful response in humans to a more subdued response that is not harmful.

This ability to preferentially direct the immune system is a major breakthrough, according to CEL-SCI. Any diseases for which antigenic epitope sequences have been identified, such as infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, allergic asthma and allergy, are potential candidates for this technology, the company said.

CEL-SCI develops new immune system-based treatments for cancer and infectious diseases. The company is based in Vienna, Va.

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