ApClone announced Monday that it received the registration certificate on Sunday for a Chinese patent on its next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology. The technology, licensed from Seoul National University's Industry-University Cooperation Foundation, has already secured patents in Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan.
According to ApClone, the newly registered patent covers an ADC conjugation technology utilizing a bispecific antibody that simultaneously and specifically binds to a target antigen on cancer cells and cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine. ADCs are anticancer agents that selectively kill cancer cells by attaching potent cytotoxic drugs to antibodies that bind to target antigens on cancer cells. However, the process of linking antibodies and drugs requires complex chemical conjugation procedures. There is also a limitation in that each individual antibody requires a separate drug attachment process. In particular, heterogeneity in the number of drugs conjugated to the final complex has been noted as a problem, adversely affecting drug solubility, safety, and pharmacokinetics.
ApClone explained that to structurally address these issues, it developed a bispecific antibody that fuses a specific binding site for cotinine onto the antibody, while designing the drug in a form pre-conjugated to cotinine. The company also noted that a wide range of therapeutic agents, including nucleic acid substances that suppress the expression of oncogenes, can be conjugated to cotinine as the payload, giving the platform high versatility.
"As we have achieved broad versatility by overcoming complex manufacturing processes, we will continue to develop diverse and powerful anticancer therapeutics going forward," a company official emphasized.