ABL Bio Secures Patent for Bispecific Antibody ABL503 in the US and Canada

"Expectations for Increasing Value of the Grabody-T Platform"

ABL Bio, a company specializing in bispecific antibodies, announced on July 31 that it has been granted a substance patent for ABL503 (Registomig) in the United States and Canada. This patent was filed internationally in February 2019 and has already been registered in countries outside the United States, including Colombia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Eurasia, Japan, Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand. The rights are guaranteed until 2039.

ABL503 incorporates ABL Bio's 4-1BB-based bispecific antibody platform, 'Grabody-T.' 4-1BB is a target involved in the activation of T cells, a type of immune cell. Grabody-T was developed as a bispecific antibody structure to overcome the limitations of 4-1BB monoclonal antibodies, which can cause severe liver toxicity side effects. In the case of bispecific antibodies, tumor antigens such as HER2, B7-H4, and Claudin18.2 can also be targeted simultaneously, allowing T cells to be activated only within the tumor microenvironment.

In addition to ABL503, other Grabody-T-based bispecific antibodies developed by ABL Bio include ABL111 (Zivastomig), ABL103, ABL104 (YH32364), and ABL105 (YH32367). Currently, ABL111 is being evaluated as a first-line treatment for gastric cancer patients through a phase 1b clinical trial in combination with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab and chemotherapy. ABL103 is scheduled to undergo a phase 1b/2 clinical trial in combination with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab and taxane.

ABL Bio is currently establishing combination strategies based on the safety and tolerability of ABL503 monotherapy confirmed in phase 1 clinical trials. Considering the excellent clinical data observed in ABL111 combination therapy, the company expects that combination therapies involving ABL503 and ABL103 will also yield encouraging results.

Lee Sanghoon, CEO of ABL Bio, stated, "Since ABL111 (Zivastomig), the fastest-developing Grabody-T-based bispecific antibody, has shown positive clinical data in combination therapy, we expect the overall value of the Grabody-T platform to increase as well. In addition to Grabody-T, we are actively pursuing partnerships for the blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform Grabody-B. ABL301, which was licensed out to Sanofi, is also in the process of having its clinical trial sponsorship transferred to Sanofi. From the subsequent clinical trials onward, Sanofi will independently conduct the clinical development of ABL301."