Aptabio Secures Patent for Blood Cancer Treatment... Aiming to Enter Phase 1/2 Clinical Trials This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Aptabio, a developer of anticancer and diabetic complication treatments, announced on the 2nd through a public disclosure that it has obtained a patent for the blood cancer treatment drug ‘Apta-16’.

‘Apta-16’ is a blood cancer treatment developed based on the core technology Apta-DC. The technology transfer to Samjin Pharmaceutical was completed in 2016 during the early development stage. The patent is a result of joint research with Samjin Pharmaceutical, and both companies are registered as co-patent holders.

Last year, the preclinical trials for Apta-16 were successfully completed. This year, the company is accelerating final preparations aiming to enter clinical phases 1/2.

Currently, many pharmaceutical companies worldwide are developing blood cancer treatments. Blood cancer is considered a difficult-to-treat cancer with a high relapse rate and low cure rate. Moreover, existing treatments on the market face challenges due to rapid development of drug resistance. The market is expecting new blood cancer treatments that can address these issues.

The patented technology acquired by Aptabio, the ‘aptamer-drug conjugate,’ has shown excellent efficacy in blood cancer treatment. It demonstrated superior therapeutic effects even in cases where first-line blood cancer treatments were ineffective or where resistance to first-line treatments developed, proving its potential as a new blood cancer therapy.

Aptabio’s Apta-DC platform is the world’s first aptamer-drug conjugate technology, aiming to develop treatments for refractory cancers. Research began at the company’s founding in 2009, and patents have been registered not only in Korea but also in the United States, Europe, and Japan, effectively blocking market entry of similar technologies.

Apta-DC targets the nucleolin protein present on the surface of cancer cells, which influences cancer cell proliferation. The aptamer-drug conjugate bound to nucleolin enters cancer cells, halting their growth and proliferation, and induces cell death through the drug, providing a dual anticancer effect. Apta-DC significantly reduces side effects such as drug resistance along with its anticancer efficacy, proving its potential as a treatment for refractory cancers.

Based on the core technology Apta-DC, Aptabio currently has three pipelines targeting blood cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer. The company plans to expand development of other refractory cancer treatment pipelines in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.