Arovella Therapeutics scores US patent for iNKT blood cancer treatment

• ALA secures US patent for invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells therapy
• Pre-clinical studies show CAR19-iNKT cells are a robust therapeutic option for blood cancers
• Patent follows granted patents in Europe, Canada and Hong Kong

Special Report: Arovella Therapeutics has scored a US patent for its invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells therapy platform.

The therapy uses (iNKT) cells engineered with Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) to target specific cancer antigens.

Unlike traditional CAR-T therapies, Arovella’s approach uses healthy donor cells to create off-the-shelf treatments, which reduces cost, complexity and time to treatment – the major issues currently faced by CAR-T companies.

Arovella Therapeutics’ (ASX:ALA) lead candidate, ALA-101, targets CD19-positive blood cancers, and its pipeline of products encompasses therapy development for solid tumours such as gastric and pancreatic cancers.

The company today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a Notice of Allowance on August 15, 2025, indicating its intention to grant a patent. 

The patent application, which covers the manufacturing of CAR-iNKT cells, is expected to proceed to grant in 2025 following completion of formalities. 

Once granted, the patent will have a term of protection to at least February 28, 2039. 

Follows global patents already in the bag

The US patent follows granted patents in Europe, Canada and Hong Kong, an accepted patent application in Australia, and divisional patent applications, in Canada, China, Europe and Hong Kong. 

“Receiving notice that this US patent application will proceed to grant is an excellent milestone for the technology, particularly as we move closer to taking our lead product, ALA-101, into first-in-human clinical trials,” CEO and MD, Dr Michael Baker said.

“We are very excited by the prospect of demonstrating the value of our platform and to having a positive impact on the lives of many cancer patients. 

“Despite the current environment in the US, the US remains an important target market for Arovella, so having granted patent claims to support our strategy is excellent.” 

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