ProQR Therapeutics announces strengthened IP with new U.S. patent

ProQR Therapeutics announced it has further strengthened its leading intellectual property, IP, estate with the issuance of a new patent in the United States and that it has successfully defended against an opposition to its IP in Japan. “The new patent that the USPTO granted to ProQR further expands the protection of RNA editing using oligonucleotides to recruit endogenous ADAR. Our leading intellectual property portfolio protects our Axiomer ADAR-mediated RNA editing platform technology and more fundamentally the use of an oligonucleotide to recruit endogenous deaminating enzymes in the cell,” said Rene Beukema, Chief Corporate Development Officer and General Counsel. “Our patents have been challenged by multiple parties on several occasions and have been upheld by the European Patent Office and now also by the Japan Patent Office. We believe safeguarding our intellectual assets is pivotal to our long-term success and intend to continue to defend against challenges through our leading IP position.” The United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, granted a new patent to ProQR, under US patent No. 11,781,134 that relates to a method for RNA editing. Key claims in this patent pertain to use of any type of oligonucleotide that is at least sufficiently complementary to a target sequence that can recruit an endogenous Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA, ADAR, which then can deaminate a target adenosine into an inosine in the target sequence.