USPTO Grants Key Mechanism of Action Patent to Bonum Therapeutics for its Conditionally Active Biologics Technology

The patent significantly strengthens Bonum’s intellectual property protecting its Dual-Binding Antibody platform for conditionally regulated therapeutics for a broad range of pairs, including but not limited to LRRC15-IFNa, PD-L1-IFNa, and PD1-IL2

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bonum Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing conditionally regulated, highly active, less toxic medicines, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted it a key patent covering its dual-binding antibody (DBA) technology. The patent protects Bonum’s mechanism for regulating cytokine activity of marker-specific binding pairs, including LRRC15-IFNa, PD-L1-IFNa, PD1-IL2, and others.

Its broad claims cover any therapeutic using a dual binding antibody to regulate the given cytokine in the presence of the given marker protein, and establishes the distinct nature of Bonum’s DBA technology for conditionally activated biologics. In this approach, a single DBA domain can bind two distinct proteins, the effector (in this case, a cytokine) or the marker protein, but only one at a time. The resulting conditional biologics are fully reversible, with the effector activated only in the presence of the marker protein and turned off in the absence of the marker protein. The highly controlled nature of the molecules allows targeting of biological pathways that are inaccessible to conventional therapeutics.

The patent, U.S. Patent No. 12,303,567, claims priority to a provisional patent application filed in 2020 that was well-supported with examples from multiple programs. Patents on the dual binding antibody technology have also issued in the U.K. and Australia, and remain in prosecution in the U.S., EU and other jurisdictions.

“The issued patent demonstrates that our approach to conditionally active biologics is truly novel and distinct, and supports our ongoing programs as we move forward,” said John Mulligan, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Bonum.

Conditionally active biologics (CABs) are an emerging class of drugs that are safer and more selective than current state-of-the-art therapies, including antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecifics. While many CAB approaches are focused on oncology and immunology, the core principle —conditional activation — has relevance across a range of protein therapeutics where tighter control is needed to achieve a sufficient therapeutic index. Bonum’s dual-binding antibody platform introduces a novel and reversible mechanism that addresses limitations seen with other technologies.

About Bonum Therapeutics

Bonum Therapeutics is a privately held biotechnology company developing protein-based therapeutics that are activated only where needed. Its proprietary Dual-Binding Antibody platform uses a novel mechanism to retain protein therapeutics in an inactive state in circulation but to activate in the presence of a marker — enabling precise control over therapeutic activity for reduced systemic toxicity and increased efficacy.

Spun out from Good Therapeutics in 2022 following its acquisition by Roche, Bonum is advancing conditionally active cytokine programs for oncology. The most advanced program is a LRRC15-controlled IFN-⍺, and other programs in the pipeline include those focused on IL-12 and TGF-beta.

Bonum is backed by leading venture investors, including Rivervest Venture Partners, Roche Venture Fund, Digitalis Ventures, American Century Investments, Codon Capital, and Vivo Capital. For more information, please visit our website at www.bonumtx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky.