A team of researchers led by Professor Cheng Tian-lu, Kaohsiung Medical University’s (KMU) chief of research and development, has developed the world’s first universal antibody lock (ab lock) that can be administered in combination with antibody drugs with severe side effects. The ab lock not only reduces the severity of side effects but also bring significant improvements to patients’ quality of life. The patented innovation could have a potential market size of more than US$10 billion. The promising innovation has since attracted licensing interest from major pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., Japan and Taiwan.

In a presentation held July 10, KMU President Chung Yu-chih said that the ab lock developed by Professor Cheng’s team is the first of its kind in the world and has been awarded Taiwan’s 10th annual National Innovation Award. The team has applied for patents in 15 countries, and has been awarded patents in Taiwan, South Africa, Australia and Japan. In the middle of June, the ab lock was featured in PLOS Biology, a monthly scientific journal.

Professor Cheng said that antibodies are one of the most effective and highly used class of drug with an estimated annual market exceeding US$100 billion. However, about 24 percent of antibody drugs are unable to pass clinical trials due to the severity of side effects.

The ab lock could potentially bring these antibody drugs back to market viability and significantly lessen discomfort from side effects experienced by patients of chronic diseases or conditions that require continued treatments for the rest of their lives, such as arthritis, tuberculosis, severe bacterial and fungal infections as well as patients prone to reactivation of hepatitis or cancer. For these patients, treatments combining drugs and the antibody lock would come with much less severe side effects.

Professor Cheng pointed out that the KMU research team is able to customize the ab lock to suit all types of antibody drugs, and this feature has attracted strong licensing interests from U.S. and Japanese pharmaceutical companies who are vying for a potential market estimated at more than US$10 billion. The KMU research team has a total of 30 people from the fields of heath care, biotechnology, genetic engineering and clinical science, and it took them seven years to complete the research. Researchers spent several hundred thousand New Taiwan dollars on laboratory mice and an addition NT$2 million on sending many antigens via air parcels to an animal testing center in Greece to verify drug safety. Through cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaborations, the ab lock was developed for the glory of KMU as well as Taiwan.

【2019-07-10 / Commercial Times】