{
  "patent_number": "US 9492534",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Using Genetically Modified Viruses to Target and Treat Cancer",
  "original_title": "Microorganisms for therapy",
  "summary": "A method for creating a modified vaccinia virus that safely hunts down and kills tumor cells while leaving healthy tissue alone.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a modified vaccinia virus engineered to act as a precision cancer treatment. By disabling three specific genetic components—the thymidine kinase (TK) gene, the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, and the F3 locus—the virus loses its ability to replicate efficiently in healthy cells but thrives in the environment of a tumor. The researchers can also insert extra genetic instructions into these modified sites to force the virus to produce therapeutic proteins, such as antibodies or transporters, directly inside the cancer site. This allows the virus to serve as both a delivery vehicle and a factory for anti-cancer drugs.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover unmodified, wild-type vaccinia viruses found in nature.",
    "Does not cover gene therapies that do not utilize the specific triple-inactivation (TK, HA, and F3) described.",
    "Does not cover viral therapies that replicate equally well in healthy and cancerous tissues."
  ],
  "filed": "2014-06-11",
  "granted": "2016-11-15",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Genelux Corp",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/genelux-corp",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Aladar A. Szalay",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/aladar-a-szalay"
    },
    {
      "name": "Qian Zhang",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/qian-zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tatyana Timiryasova",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/tatyana-timiryasova"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yong A. Yu",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yong-a-yu"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 15,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "Therapeutic methods and vaccinia virus therefor are provided. The viruses are designed so that they accumulate in immunoprivileged tissues and cells, such as in tumors and other proliferating tissue and in inflamed tissues, compared to other tissues, cells and organs, so that they exhibit relatively low toxicity to host organisms. Combinations of the viruses and anti-cancer agents and uses thereof for treating cancer also are provided.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9492534/yescarta-axicabtagene-ciloleucel",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9492534/yescarta-axicabtagene-ciloleucel/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9492534",
  "relatedPatents": []
}