AUS wins third US patent for antibody-guided breast cancer drug delivery
American University of Sharjah (AUS) has been granted a third US patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a breast cancer drug-delivery platform developed by its Ultrasound in Cancer Research Group. The latest patent covers a method using cetuximab-targeted liposomes, extending a research programme that first filed in 2017 and has now produced three successive patents in 2020, 2024 and 2026.
The platform uses liposomes, hollow, lipid-bilayer capsules, loaded with chemotherapy and decorated on their outer surface with cancer-targeting antibodies. When the capsules bind to their target protein on a tumour cell, ultrasound directed at the site disrupts the liposome membrane and releases the drug locally. The concept is designed to concentrate cytotoxic payload at the tumour while reducing systemic exposure, an objective shared by much of the antibody-drug conjugate field.
Extending the target range
The first two AUS patents covered trastuzumab (Herceptin)-targeted capsules aimed at HER2-positive breast cancer, with the second patent broadening the range of applicable ultrasound frequencies and power levels. The new grant switches the targeting antibody to cetuximab, which recognises the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The clinical significance of that shift is its potential relevance to a subset of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype that tests negative for oestrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2, and for which treatment options remain limited. Some TNBC tumours overexpress EGFR, making it a marker of interest for targeted delivery strategies.
Dr Mohammad Al-Sayah, Professor of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at AUS, was careful to note the stage of the work. "Some triple-negative breast cancers have high levels of EGFR, making it a marker of interest for targeted drug delivery. The cetuximab-targeted capsules have not yet been tested, so further studies are needed to understand their potential," he said.
Animal studies of the Herceptin-targeted capsules are ongoing to assess safety and efficacy. The team intends to begin evaluating the cetuximab-targeted version after completing that work. Any path to human trials would require preclinical toxicology packages, manufacture to pharmaceutical standards and regulatory approval, meaning clinical application remains some years away.
Market and competitive context
The broader field of targeted drug delivery in oncology is well populated. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have attracted substantial commercial and clinical interest, with several already approved in breast cancer, including trastuzumab deruxtecan and sacituzumab govitecan. The AUS approach differs from conventional ADCs in that it uses ultrasound rather than a cleavable chemical linker to trigger drug release, and it employs a liposomal carrier rather than a small-molecule payload conjugated directly to the antibody. That distinction could offer advantages in payload capacity, but the technology readiness level is significantly lower than the approved ADC class.
Academic patent portfolios of this nature tend to serve multiple functions: establishing intellectual property priority, attracting licensing interest and signalling research maturity to grant bodies. Whether AUS pursues an industry partnership, a spin-out or continued in-house development will be a key strategic question for the team as the animal-study programme matures. The research has received funding from a range of UAE public and philanthropic bodies, including the Al Jalila Foundation and the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, reflecting consistent regional support for the programme over nearly a decade.