AbTis laboratory (AbTis) AbTis, a South Korean biotechnology company developing antibody-drug conjugate technologies, said the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board has upheld its US patent covering the company’s exclusive AbClick platform.The review was initiated by Anjinmoto, which asserted that the patent failed to meet US requirements for written description, enablement and definiteness under Section 112 of the US Patent Act.They also claimed challenges based on anticipation under Section 102 and obviousness under Section 103, as well as on procedural and evidentiary challenges.In a final written decision in inter partes review, the PTAB rejected all of the petitioner’s challenges, leaving the patent in force.AbClick is AbTis’ site-specific ADC conjugation platform, which enables drug payloads to be attached to the Lys248 residue of an antibody’s Fc region. The technology is designed to produce highly homogeneous ADCs with controlled drug-to-antibody ratios and consistent product quality.AbTis is developing multiple ADC programs using its platform and pursuing collaborations with global biopharmaceutical companies. The company plans to expand its presence in the US and pursue future technology licensing and new partnerships, drawing on the PTAB’s decision.“The board’s decision provides significant objective support for the originality and patent competitiveness of our platform,” Choi Hyung-seok, CEO of AbTis said. “Backed by the victory, we will accelerate strategic partnerships and commercialization of our technology worldwide.”