AbClon (174900.KQ), a South Korean antibody drug developer, has secured a Japanese patent for AM105, a next-generation bispecific antibody cancer immunotherapy, expanding its global rights to the technology.
The company said on the 28th that it had completed registration of the Japanese patent covering AM105's core technology. The registration gives AbClon exclusive rights to the technology in Japan following earlier protection in South Korea. Applications are also under review in major markets including the United States, Europe, China, India, Russia and Brazil.
AM105 is a bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets EGFR, which is expressed on cancer cells, and 4-1BB, a co-stimulatory receptor on T cells. The drug first binds to EGFR on the surface of cancer cells to localize at the tumor site, then selectively activates 4-1BB signaling to trigger an anti-tumor immune response by T cells. It is being developed to boost anti-cancer efficacy while reducing side effects caused by systemic immune activation.
Development of bispecific antibodies using 4-1BB has picked up pace in the global cancer immunotherapy market. Existing 4-1BB monoclonal antibodies deliver powerful T cell activation but have been criticized for limitations such as liver toxicity stemming from systemic immune activation. That has drawn attention to bispecific antibodies that target both a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) and 4-1BB to selectively activate immune responses within the tumor microenvironment.
AbClon expects the competitiveness of AM105, which combines EGFR and 4-1BB, to stand out as global development of 4-1BB bispecific antibodies gathers momentum. The company is conducting a primate toxicity study of AM105 and plans to pursue an early licensing deal once preclinical data are in hand.
"This Japanese patent registration is meaningful in that it expands the global rights to our bispecific antibody platform AffiMab and to AM105," an AbClon official said. "The primate toxicity study is progressing smoothly, so we will speed up development to secure the relevant data and turn it into an early technology transfer."
