TÜBINGEN, Germany & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CureVac AG, a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based drugs, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance to CureVac on GMP-conforming pharmaceutical manufacturing methods for producing RNA, strengthening CureVac’s industry-leading position in GMP manufacturing of in vitro transcribed RNA.
CureVac is the first company in the mRNA field to receive a patent for the entire manufacturing process of in vitro transcribed RNA. The patent allowance covers processes for the in vitro transcription of template DNA including proprietary quality control steps for producing purified RNA.
Ingmar Hoerr, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of CureVac, commented: “We are pleased to be the first mRNA company to be awarded this important Intellectual Property protecting our entire process for producing transcribed RNA material from template DNA. This new IP supports our leading position in GMP-conforming mRNA manufacturing. As early as 2006 – when we were the only business enterprise in the mRNA field – we established our first GMP facility to manufacture mRNA. Our highest priority has always been to create ultra-pure mRNA at the lowest cost of goods. Based on our extensive know-how and IP, we are currently building our industrial-scale production facility designed to produce up to 30 million doses of RNA-based therapeutics per year.”
This latest Notice of Allowance strengthens CureVac’s already broad IP portfolio, among the most comprehensive in this industry with more than 110 patent families, over 900 patent family members and about 150 granted patents.
About CureVac AG
CureVac is a leading company in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with more than 17 years’ expertise in handling and optimizing this versatile molecule for medical purposes. The principle of CureVac's proprietary technology is the use of mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. The company applies its technologies for the development of cancer therapies, prophylactic vaccines and molecular therapies. To date, CureVac has received approximately $420 million (€400 million) in equity investments including significant investments from SAP founder Dietmar Hopp’s dievini and an investment of $52 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CureVac has also entered into collaborations with multinational corporations and organizations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Co, CRISPR Therapeutics, Arcturus Therapeutics and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information, please visit www.curevac.com.
