New Peptide Vaccines for Fighting Cancer
This patent describes new protein fragments, called polypeptides, designed to help the body's immune system fight specific cancers like lung, stomach, and skin cancer.
Original patent title: “Fusion peptide vaccines”
This patent describes new protein fragments, called polypeptides, designed to help the body's immune system fight specific cancers like lung, stomach, and skin cancer. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent covers specific protein pieces, or polypeptides, that are designed to trigger a strong immune response against cancer cells. These peptides contain parts, known as T cell epitopes, that are recognized by the immune system's T cells. The goal is to teach the T cells to attack and destroy cancer cells, particularly in cancers like gastric cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, and bladder cancer. The patent also mentions using these peptides in pharmaceutical compositions, meaning they are formulated into medicines, and suggests methods for identifying patients who would benefit most from this treatment.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover vaccines for infectious diseases like the flu or COVID-19.
- Does not cover general cancer treatments that don't use specific T cell epitopes.
- Does not cover diagnostic methods unrelated to identifying patients for peptide vaccine treatment.
- Does not cover the use of whole proteins or DNA/RNA in the vaccine formulation.
- Does not cover treatments for cancers not listed in the patent, such as brain tumors or leukemia.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The key innovation lies in identifying specific T cell epitopes within fusion peptides that are highly immunogenic, meaning they reliably provoke a strong immune response across a large percentage of patients, making the vaccine potentially more effective for a broader population.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Potential cancer vaccines for lung cancer
Potential cancer vaccines for melanoma
Potential cancer vaccines for gastric cancer
Potential cancer vaccines for bladder cancer
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Developing new ways to harness the immune system to fight cancer is a major focus in medicine. This patent represents a specific approach to cancer immunotherapy, aiming to create vaccines that are effective against a range of common and difficult-to-treat cancers.
Filed
May 2, 2023
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The development of peptide-based cancer vaccines is an active area for many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. While this specific patent's assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more → is unknown, companies like Moderna, BioNTech, and numerous smaller biotechs are heavily invested in mRNA and peptide vaccine technology for oncology.
Market impact
The development of targeted peptide vaccines could significantly impact the oncology market by offering more precise and potentially less toxic treatments than traditional chemotherapy. Success in this area could lead to new classes of drugs and personalized medicine approaches for cancer patients.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent covers specific protein pieces, or polypeptides, that are designed to trigger a strong immune response against cancer cells. These peptides contain parts, known as T cell epitopes, that are recognized by the immune system's T cells. The goal is to teach the T cells to attack and destroy cancer cells, particularly in cancers like gastric cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, and bladder cancer. The patent also mentions using these peptides in pharmaceutical compositions, meaning they are formulated into medicines, and suggests methods for identifying patients who would benefit most from this treatment.
The clever bit
The key innovation lies in identifying specific T cell epitopes within fusion peptides that are highly immunogenic, meaning they reliably provoke a strong immune response across a large percentage of patients, making the vaccine potentially more effective for a broader population.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover vaccines for infectious diseases like the flu or COVID-19.
- Does not cover general cancer treatments that don't use specific T cell epitopes.
- Does not cover diagnostic methods unrelated to identifying patients for peptide vaccine treatment.
- Does not cover the use of whole proteins or DNA/RNA in the vaccine formulation.
- Does not cover treatments for cancers not listed in the patent, such as brain tumors or leukemia.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$36K – $115K
Midpoint $72K · 16.6 yr remaining · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). New Peptide Vaccines for Fighting Cancer (U.S. Patent No. 12,734,225). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734225/fusion-peptide-vaccines
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does New Peptide Vaccines for Fighting Cancer cover?
This patent describes new protein fragments, called polypeptides, designed to help the body's immune system fight specific cancers like lung, stomach, and skin cancer.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Developing new ways to harness the immune system to fight cancer is a major focus in medicine. This patent represents a specific approach to cancer immunotherapy, aiming to create vaccines that are effective against a range of common and difficult-to-treat cancers.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover vaccines for infectious diseases like the flu or COVID-19.
Patent monitoring