Abion Announces Preclinical Study Results of Targeted Anticancer Drug 'ABN501' at AACR

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Abion announced on the 14th that it presented the preclinical research results of its targeted anticancer drug ‘ABN501’ at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) held in New Orleans, USA, from the 8th to the 13th (local time).

ABN501 is an anticancer drug targeting Claudin 3, a cause of solid tumors among Claudin proteins. Claudin is a cell junction protein overexpressed in various types of solid tumors and is gaining attention as a promising anticancer biomarker. Among them, Claudin 18.2 has already been involved in several global technology transactions.

Unlike Claudin 18.2, which is limited to certain cancer types such as gastric cancer, Claudin 3 targeted by ABN501 can expand indications to multiple cancer types but has been a challenging biomarker to develop due to its structural characteristic of being difficult to find specific antibodies.

At this AACR, Abion introduced preclinical efficacy data of ‘ABN501,’ which applies its proprietary anticancer efficacy enhancement and various drug platforms to antibodies specific to Claudin 3. The company emphasized that unlike Claudin 18.2, for which it is relatively easier to find specific antibodies and competition is fierce, ABN501 is currently the only antibody that targets Claudin 3.

An Abion official stated, “We aim to enter clinical trials for ‘ABN501’ within a year,” adding, “This conference was a meaningful opportunity as it suggested that our proprietary antibody could be applied to antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and CAR technology cell therapies to develop anticancer drugs, attracting significant interest and various proposals from related companies.”