Using Two Specific RNAs to Teach the Body to Fight Lung Cancer
This patent describes an active composition containing two specific messenger RNAs, NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, designed to stimulate an immune response in a mammal to treat lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancers.
Original patent title: “Composition for treating lung cancer, particularly of non-small lung cancers (nsclc)”
This patent describes an active composition containing two specific messenger RNAs, NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, designed to stimulate an immune response in a mammal to treat lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancers. Owned by Curevac AG with 24 claims and 7 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2041.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → an "immunostimulatory composition" (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 25) that includes two specific RNA molecules. The first RNA carries instructions for making a protein called NY-ESO-1, and the second RNA carries instructions for making MAGE-A3. These proteins are known as antigens because they can trigger an immune response. The idea is that when these RNAs are introduced into the body, cells will produce these specific tumor proteins, teaching the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells that also have these proteins. The RNAs can also have special parts like 5' and 3' UTR sequences, a Poly-A sequence, and a 5' Cap (Claims 26-29) to make them more stable and effective. They can also be combined with "cationic compounds" like lipids or peptides (Claims 30-32) to help them get into cells. For example, a doctor might administer this composition to a patient with non-small cell lung cancer to help their body fight the disease by stimulating an anti-tumor immune response (Claim 43).
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Compositions that do not include both a first RNA encoding NY-ESO-1 and a second RNA encoding MAGE-A3 as core components (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 25).
- Immunotherapies that rely on DNA or protein-based vaccines instead of RNA molecules (ClaimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → consistently specify "RNA" and "mRNA").
- Compositions where the coding regions of the NY-ESO-1 or MAGE-A3 RNAs are not at least 85% identical to the specified sequences (SEQ ID NO: 21 and SEQ ID NO: 17, respectively), particularly if G/C content is increased (ClaimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 34, 38).
- Methods of treating cancer that do not involve stimulating an anti-tumor immune response in the subject (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 43).
- Compositions using entirely different tumor antigens as the primary active ingredients, without including NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in combining two specific tumor antigens, NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, within an RNA-based immunostimulatory composition. The patent also highlights optimizing the RNA's G/C content (ClaimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 33-39) to potentially improve its stability and how much protein it produces, making the immune response stronger.
The Patent Drawing
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
CureVac's ongoing research into mRNA cancer vaccines
Moderna's mRNA-based oncology clinical trials
BioNTech's mRNA cancer immunotherapy programs
Other experimental mRNA-based immunotherapies for solid tumors
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths, and current treatments often have significant side effects. This patent explores a targeted approach using messenger RNA (mRNA) to train the body's own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. This type of immunotherapy, particularly mRNA-based vaccines, represents a significant area of research for treating various cancers, offering the potential for more precise and less toxic therapies.
Filed
July 19, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
CureVac AG, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is a key player in mRNA technology and continues to develop mRNA-based vaccines and therapies, including for oncology. Other companies like BioNTech and Moderna are also heavily invested in mRNA cancer vaccine research, exploring similar strategies of using mRNA to present tumor antigens to the immune system.
Market impact
The development of mRNA technology, particularly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has opened new avenues for cancer treatment. This patent contributes to a growing body of work aiming to create highly specific immunotherapies. If successful, such compositions could lead to new drug categories for non-small cell lung cancer, potentially reducing reliance on traditional chemotherapy and radiation for certain patient populations.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent claims an "immunostimulatory composition" (Claim 25) that includes two specific RNA molecules. The first RNA carries instructions for making a protein called NY-ESO-1, and the second RNA carries instructions for making MAGE-A3. These proteins are known as antigens because they can trigger an immune response. The idea is that when these RNAs are introduced into the body, cells will produce these specific tumor proteins, teaching the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells that also have these proteins. The RNAs can also have special parts like 5' and 3' UTR sequences, a Poly-A sequence, and a 5' Cap (Claims 26-29) to make them more stable and effective. They can also be combined with "cationic compounds" like lipids or peptides (Claims 30-32) to help them get into cells. For example, a doctor might administer this composition to a patient with non-small cell lung cancer to help their body fight the disease by stimulating an anti-tumor immune response (Claim 43).
The clever bit
The novelty lies in combining two specific tumor antigens, NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, within an RNA-based immunostimulatory composition. The patent also highlights optimizing the RNA's G/C content (Claims 33-39) to potentially improve its stability and how much protein it produces, making the immune response stronger.
What it does not cover
- Compositions that do not include both a first RNA encoding NY-ESO-1 and a second RNA encoding MAGE-A3 as core components (Claim 25).
- Immunotherapies that rely on DNA or protein-based vaccines instead of RNA molecules (Claims consistently specify "RNA" and "mRNA").
- Compositions where the coding regions of the NY-ESO-1 or MAGE-A3 RNAs are not at least 85% identical to the specified sequences (SEQ ID NO: 21 and SEQ ID NO: 17, respectively), particularly if G/C content is increased (Claims 34, 38).
- Methods of treating cancer that do not involve stimulating an anti-tumor immune response in the subject (Claim 43).
- Compositions using entirely different tumor antigens as the primary active ingredients, without including NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
18/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
16/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 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
$187K – $599K
Midpoint $374K · 14.9 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
The original legal language
Original claims
24 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Lander, T., Hoerr, I., Barner, M., & Probst, J. Using Two Specific RNAs to Teach the Body to Fight Lung Cancer (U.S. Patent No. 20,220,096,616). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20220096616/composition-for-treating-lung-cancer-particularly-of-non-small-lung-cancers-nscl
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 Using Two Specific RNAs to Teach the Body to Fight Lung Cancer cover?
This patent describes an active composition containing two specific messenger RNAs, NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A3, designed to stimulate an immune response in a mammal to treat lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancers.
Who owns patent US 20220096616?
This patent is owned by Curevac AG.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on July 19, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 20220096616 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 7 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths, and current treatments often have significant side effects. This patent explores a targeted approach using messenger RNA (mRNA) to train the body's own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. This type of immunotherapy, particularly mRNA-based vaccines, represents a significant area of research for treating various cancers, offering the potential for more precise and less toxic therapies.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Compositions that do not include both a first RNA encoding NY-ESO-1 and a second RNA encoding MAGE-A3 as core components (Claim 25).
Patent monitoring