Abclone Secures Chinese Patent for Next-Generation ADC Conjugation Technology

Bispecific Antibody Technology Targeting Nicotine Metabolite

Abclone announced on April 7 that the next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology, which it licensed from the Seoul National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, has completed patent registration in China. The company has already secured patents in Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan, establishing a global intellectual property network.

Certificate of Chinese Patent Registration for Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Technology. Apclon

The newly registered patent covers an innovative ADC conjugation technology that utilizes a bispecific antibody capable of simultaneously binding to a specific cancer cell target antigen and to cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine.

An ADC is an anticancer drug that selectively destroys cancer cells by chemically attaching a highly cytotoxic agent to an antibody that targets a cancer cell antigen. ADC technology requires a complex, multi-step chemical conjugation process to link the antibody and the drug, and each antibody must undergo a drug conjugation step, which is a significant limitation. In particular, persistent issues have been raised regarding heterogeneity in the number of drugs attached to the final conjugate, which negatively affects drug solubility, stability, and pharmacokinetics.

The Abclone research team structurally addressed these issues by developing a bispecific antibody that incorporates a specific binding site for cotinine. The drug is pre-conjugated to cotinine, allowing the ADC to be formed simply by mixing the components together.

This approach has demonstrated excellent versatility. In addition to potent cytotoxic agents, a variety of therapeutic drugs—including nucleic acid substances that suppress the expression of cancer-causing genes—can be attached to cotinine for use with this system. Furthermore, this technology addresses the shortcomings of small-molecule drugs that are rapidly cleared from the bloodstream, and by conjugating them with the bispecific antibody, significantly extends the in vivo half-life of the drug, greatly improving its stability.

An Abclone official stated, "With this Chinese patent registration, in addition to those granted in Korea, the United States, Europe, and Japan, the innovation of our next-generation ADC conjugation technology using bispecific antibodies is now recognized worldwide."

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