OncoSec Strengthens IP Portfolio with Three New Patents Covering TAVO™ and Its Electroporation Gene Delivery System

PENNINGTON, N.J. and SAN DIEGO, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:ONCS) (the "Company" or "OncoSec"), a company developing late-stage intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, today announced Notices of Allowance for three new patent applications covering its interleukin-12 (IL-12) based immunotherapy platform, including its lead product candidate TAVO™ and next-generation product candidate TAVO^PLUS, and electroporation gene delivery system.

• The European Patent Office intends to grant a patent covering OncoSec's gene therapy and electroporation for the treatment of malignancies. The allowed European claims are directed to methods of treating cancer by delivering a plasmid encoding an agonist of GITR, CD137, CD134, CD40L, or CD27 (immune co-stimulators) in combination with a plasmid encoding an immunostimulatory cytokine (such as IL-12 or IL-15) to a tumor by intratumoral electroporation. This patent is significant as it further expands protection of OncoSec's IL-12 based immunotherapy platform in a key market for various drug combinations. 
  
  
• Additionally, the European Patent Office also intends to grant a second patent protecting OncoSec's next-generation electroporation gene delivery system focused on the treatment of internal or visceral lesions. Specifically, the allowed claims cover OncoSec's innovative visceral lesion applicator (VLA) that can be used with the APOLLO™ electroporation generator, including applicators with two or more electroporation electrodes and a central channel for colocalized drug delivery. These innovative devices allow targeted electroporation and treatment of cells with therapeutic moieties using a single device. The applicator options enable the ability to use a variety of interventional and surgical approaches to access a wide variety of lesions, such as distal lung metastases (catheter-based) and primary and metastatic liver tumors (rigid-based). This is clinically significant because many of these cancers are difficult to reach and treat directly with an immunotherapy.
  
  
• The Canadian Intellectual Property Office intends to grant a patent protecting OncoSec's electroporation method for treating microscopic tumors. The allowed claims are directed to delivery of a gene encoding a therapeutic protein, such as a cytokine, including electroporation to reduce tumor growth and metastases in the tumor margin tissue. Tumor resection, if performed, can be done before or after the electroporation. Treatment of tumor margin tissue – prior to and following resection – is a very meaningful treatment advancement for OncoSec, particularly when directed to the prevention of metastases.

"OncoSec continues to prioritize the expansion of its intellectual property portfolio across multiple facets of its technology," said Keir Loiacono, Vice President, Corporate Development at OncoSec Medical Incorporated. "These three new allowances demonstrate OncoSec's strong patent position in three critical areas: device development, new treatment alternatives and novel adjuvant therapies with previously undescribed combinations. As we look to the future, we believe this will not only help to secure our competitive position in the intratumoral oncology space, but potentially create new opportunities for licensing revenue."

About OncoSec Medical Incorporated 
OncoSec Medical Incorporated (the "Company," "OncoSec," "we" or "our") is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing cytokine-based intratumoral immunotherapies to stimulate the body's immune system to target and attack cancer. OncoSec's lead immunotherapy investigational product candidate – TAVO™ (tavokinogene telseplasmid) – enables the intratumoral delivery of DNA-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), a naturally occurring protein with immune-stimulating functions. The technology, which employs electroporation, is designed to produce a controlled, localized expression of IL-12 in the tumor microenvironment, enabling the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. OncoSec has built a deep and diverse clinical pipeline utilizing TAVO™ as a potential treatment for multiple cancer indications either as a monotherapy or in combination with leading checkpoint inhibitors; with the latter potentially enabling OncoSec to address a great unmet medical need in oncology: anti-PD-1 non-responders. Results from recently completed clinical studies of TAVO™ have demonstrated a local immune response, and subsequently, a systemic effect as either a monotherapy or combination treatment approach along with an acceptable safety profile, warranting further development. In addition to TAVO™, OncoSec is identifying and developing new DNA-encoded therapeutic candidates and tumor indications for use with its new Visceral Lesion Applicator (VLA), to target deep visceral lesions, such as liver, lung or pancreatic lesions. For more information, please visit www.oncosec.com.   

TAVO™ is a trademark of OncoSec Medical Incorporated. 

Risk Factors and Forward-Looking Statements 
This release, as well as other information provided from time to time by the Company or its employees, may contain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company's current beliefs, expectations and intentions regarding future events and involve risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the Company's control) and assumptions. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "should," "will" and "would" and similar expressions (including the negative of these terms).  Although we believe that expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only at the time they are published on or as otherwise specified, and does not undertake to update or revise these statements as more information becomes available, except as required under federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC"). In particular, you should be aware that the success and timing of our clinical trials, including safety and efficacy of our product candidates, patient accrual, unexpected or expected safety events, the impact of COVID-19 on the supply of our candidates or the initiation or completion of clinical trials and the usability of data generated from our trials may differ and may not meet our estimated timelines. Please refer to the risk factors and other cautionary statements provided in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 and subsequent periodic and current reports filed with the SEC (each of which can be found at the SEC's website www.sec.gov), as well as other factors described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC. 

Company Contact: 
Gem Hopkins 
Head of Corporate Communications 
858-210-7334 
[email protected] 

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SOURCE OncoSec Medical Incorporated