ABL Bio Secures Patent for 4-1BB Monoclonal Antibody Based on 'GrabBody-T' Technology

ABL Bio (ABL Bio) announced on the 30th that patents for the 4-1BB single antibody and its uses have been granted in the United States and Australia. This patent was previously filed internationally in December 2019, and with this decision, ABL Bio can protect its rights to the 4-1BB single antibody until 2039.

The 4-1BB single antibody is a candidate anticancer agent that activates T cells, a type of immune cell, enabling them to attack cancer cells. Previously, global big pharma companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Pfizer also attempted to develop related substances but faced setbacks due to toxicity or reduced efficacy issues. To overcome these limitations of the 4-1BB single antibody, ABL Bio developed the Grabody-T, a bispecific antibody platform that activates T cells only in the tumor microenvironment expressed by cancer cells. Pipelines applying Grabody-T include ABL503, ABL111, ABL103, and ABL105.

ABL503 presented interim results of its Phase 1 clinical trial at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), including one complete remission and six partial remission cases. ABL111 is also conducting a Phase 1b clinical trial as a first-line treatment, combining ABL111 with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo and chemotherapy in a triple combination.

Lee Sang-hoon, CEO of ABL Bio, stated, “As our 4-1BB-based bispecific antibody pipeline enters clinical stages and gains attention by presenting results on the global stage, we are actively pursuing overseas patent acquisition for the Grabody-T platform. In addition to developing existing bispecific antibodies, we are focusing our capabilities on developing a new modality, bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), and we are making efforts to promote ABL Bio’s technological capabilities by participating in various academic conferences and events.”