The Covid vaccine functioned by introducing the virus into our bodies, thus encouraging them to build antibodies. It was the usual fighting fire with fire. 

Sometimes, however, antibodies fail to do their job when faced with the disease. They end up blocking other pathways instead, thus creating side effects and leaving us to fend for ourselves. Australian biotech company AdAlta (ASX: 1AD) is changing that with its antibody platform i-body. It has the stabilising properties of small molecules as well as increased affinity, allowing it to bind easily to difficult targets.

Inspired by the antigen binding domains found in sharks, the i-body has a long loop that binds itself to molecules—specifically G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)—that are essentially messengers of the body. Because of its long loop, i-body is able to increase its accuracy. Currently, drug targeting often plays out like a game of blind darts. To increase the odds of hitting the target, medical practitioners increase the dosage, and that can result in a dose of side effects. AdAlta aims to address that. 

It is probably why the Company has caught the eye of numerous countries, with Japan granting it its second patent. The Japanese Patent Office granted AdAlta’s leading AD-214 program a patent. Entitled “CXCR4 binding molecules”, the patent number 2020-121974 has an expiry date of January 8, 2036.

Commenting on the patent, AdAlta’s CEO and Managing Director, Dr Tim Oldham, said, “Japan is the third largest pharmaceutical market in the world and remains important to our partnering and commercialisation strategy. This patent is a valuable, additional piece of intellectual property which enables expansion of protected claims for AD-214 in Japan, a major market for fibrosis-related diseases.”

The patent is directed to polypeptides (essential for drug delivery as they carry acids to the target cells) that comprise the binding loops of AD-214, which is delivered as an injectable. The peptides have variations in the i-body scaffold sequence, which is why the patent coverage extends specifically to AD-214 for treating CXCR4-related diseases or disorders (like liver fibrosis, cancer, kidney diseases, wounds, warts and more).

AD-214 is an Fc-fusion protein (basically it’s a peptide, i.e. carrier, and immune response generator in one!). This drug candidate has been found to have significant anti-fibrotic effects when it comes to treating a type of fibrosis of the lung: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is incurable and potentially fatal. Lung fibrosis is a $4.3 billion market. 

It also tackles other forms of fibrosis, such as that of the eye (a $21 billion market) or kidney (a $14.4 billion market). The Company plans on using its i-body platform to develop products for other diseases that implicate GPCRs, too. It has already completed its Phase I clinical studies for AD-214. 

This is the second patent granted in Japan for AD-214, adding to existing patent protection. The U.S., Europe, China, Australia, India, Hong Kong and Singapore have also granted patents for this drug.

AD-214 is still pretty far from commercialisation. Thankfully still, AdAlta is sitting atop $7.1 million in cash and also has the Australian Government’s funding support. Now, all eyes are on the outcomes of its clinical trials.