Intellectual property
Ablynx has a strong and broad IP position and is the only company in the world with granted US and European patents that describe the composition of matter of Nanobodies (the “Hamers patents”), representing a distinct and unique position in the complex field of antibody-derived therapeutics. Ablynx has an extensive patent position in the field of Nanobodies for healthcare applications. It has exclusive rights to more than 500 patent applications and granted patents in more than 100 patent families worldwide, including the Hamers patents covering the basic structure, composition, preparation and uses of Nanobodies. As a result of its exclusive patent rights, Ablynx is the only company in the world which has the intellectual property rights required for the worldwide commercialisation of healthcare products based on Nanobodies.
Since 2006, Ablynx has been filing patent applications for targets and classes of targets and as a result, Ablynx currently holds more than 20 patent families which broadly cover Nanobodies and other single domain binding proteins directed against such classes of targets. These patent applications extend the original concept from the Hamers patents for these particular targets and target classes well beyond the expected expiry dates for the original Hamers patents (the expiry dates begin in 2013 in Europe and 2015 in the United States). Ablynx’s patents also cover all of its internal and partnered development programmes. In addition, Ablynx files patent applications on novel routes of administration and formulations and protects know-how, such as immunisation strategies, through confidentiality procedures.
Ablynx is also the holder worldwide of the trademarks Ablynx®, Nanobody® and Nanoclone®.