STCube Obtains European Patent for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor ‘PD-L1 Antibody’

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] STCube, a bio company developing immune checkpoint inhibitors, announced on the 25th that it has obtained a European patent for the ‘PD-L1’ antibody jointly developed with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States.

A company official stated, “We obtained a U.S. patent last November for the immune checkpoint inhibitor ‘hSTM108,’ which targets the immune checkpoint molecule ‘PD-L1,’ and this is the second patent obtained in Europe. We expect that this patent acquisition will accelerate joint development and technology transfer negotiations with global pharmaceutical companies.”

‘hSTM108,’ one of STCube’s main immune checkpoint inhibitor pipelines, is an antibody that specifically binds to a particular glycosylation site on ‘PD-L1,’ unlike existing antibodies. It has the advantage of excellent cellular internalization function, making it an antibody optimized for the development of antibody-drug conjugates. Preclinical animal experiments showed a high tumor treatment response rate of approximately 71?86%. Additionally, it was confirmed that there were no issues with kidney and liver functions due to drug side effects.

The research results verifying the excellent efficacy of ‘hSTM108’ were published in 2018 in the world-renowned cancer research journal Cancer Cell.

A company official said, “Starting in 2025, patents for most immune checkpoint inhibitors currently on the market will expire, and biosimilar launches are expected to become active. With this patent acquisition, we have secured exclusive rights for the global market sales of ‘hSTM108.’” He added, “To expedite the commercialization of ‘hSTM108,’ clinical entry and technology transfer discussions with domestic and international pharmaceutical companies are also actively underway.”