STCube has developed immune-checkpoint inhibitor that can significantly cause the death of cancer cells. Distinct from existing immune-checkpoint inhibitors, the company’s immune-checkpoint inhibitor is designed to facilitates improved efficacy in cancer cell killing based on specific mechanisms of action.

On the 23 Nov, STCube reported that, as a result of its research findings on previously unknown functional mechanisms of PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins, it has filed for 4 patent applications globally.

In 2016, STCube applied for 2 patents on antibodies developed through its proprietary antibody development platform, which utilizes glycosylations on immune-checkpoint proteins.

In 2017, the company applied for 2 additional patents, one directed to additional antibodies produced based on the finding that the characteristics of antibodies vary depending on the specific glycosylation sites that they mask, and the other one directed to combination therapies and antibody-drug conjugates.

According to STCube, PD-L1 protein on the surface of cancer cells has 4 glycosylation sites, and antibodies that selectively mask each or some of those glycosylation sites have been developed. The properties of each of the antibodies is shown to be unique depending on the specific glycosylation sites that it masks. The antibodies and the unique characteristics shown by these antibodies became the subject of the patent application.

One official from STCube stated: “As the home-grown antibody therapeutics are quickly developing into the next stages, 4 patent applications, including the patent applications for PD-L1 antibodies, were submitted globally. Our capability has already been highly regarded in the field, which is demonstrated by several on-going collaborations including the early stage license out of our PD-L1 antibodies in the Chinese market, and and joint research agreements with various institutions such as Diviner Therapeutics."

He also added: “Recently, we are receiving a fair number of inquiries from multinational pharmaceutical companies about the technological capabilities of STCube. We will continue to actively make known our assets and technologies through various means such as publication of papers on globally renowned academic journals." <End>