AEGiS-PRn: The Immune Response Corporation Receives United States Patent Office Notice of Allowance for Licensed Cancer Technology

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

The Immune Response Corporation Receives United States Patent Office Notice of Allowance for Licensed Cancer Technology

PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019 - Tuesday, 1 October 1996

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Immune Response Corporation (Nasdaq: IMNR), announced today that the United States Patent Office has issued a Notice of Allowance to the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center ("SKCC") on a cancer treatment licensed exclusively to Immune Response. The allowed application is entitled Lymphokine Gene Therapy of Cancer, and covers a method of inhibiting or preventing the growth of tumor cells by administering a composition comprising tumor antigens and cells genetically modified to express cytokines.

This patented technology is currently being used in a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a colon cancer vaccine. Essentially, the colon cancer vaccine is comprised of irradiated fibroblasts from a skin biopsy, genetically modified to produce interleukin-2 ("IL-2"), along with irradiated tumor cells excised from the patient.

IL-2, a cytokine which belongs to a class of molecules that regulate the immune and inflammatory responses in humans, can increase the proliferation of T cells. T cells are known to play a role in tumor rejection. In May 1995, the results of preclinical studies using this technology were published in Human Gene Therapy. Seventy-five percent of treated animals developed systemic anti-tumor immunity and were protected against subsequent tumor cell challenges. This study also identified the important relationships between IL-2 dose, immune system effector mechanisms and antitumor efficacy.

"Preclinical studies indicated that this technology may be able to destroy established tumors and prevent recurrence. We are now nearing the completion of our Phase I clinical trial in colon cancer and expect to begin additional clinical trials in 1997 for both colon and prostate cancers using this technology," said Dennis J. Carlo, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of The Immune Response Corporation. "This promising new technology builds on our overall scientific objective of boosting the immune system to treat or alleviate human diseases."

The Immune Response Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company based in Carlsbad, California, with technologies in four core areas: HIV, autoimmune disease, gene therapy and cancer. The company is conducting clinical trials using immune-based therapies for HIV, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and colon cancer, and preclinical studies for brain and prostate cancers. The company is also developing gene therapy treatments for cardiovascular disease, hemophilia and hepatitis using a proprietary gene delivery system.

NOTE: The Immune Response Corporation news releases are available at no charge through PR Newswire's Company News On-Call fax service. For a menu of available news releases or to retrieve a specific release made by The Immune Response Corporation, please call 800-758-5804, extension 434675. Please retain these numbers for future reference. Company information can also be located on the Internet Web Site: http://www.imnr.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially from those expected due to a variety of risk factors, including the uncertainty of successful completion of clinical trials, and those risks set forth from time to time in The Immune Response Corporation's SEC filings, including but not limited to its report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1995. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONTACT: Debra L. Altman, Investor Relations, 619-431-7080

Keywords: CLINICAL TRIAL; INTERLEUKIN; IL 2; IMMUNE SYSTEM; HIV; IMMUNE BASED; HEPATITIS

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