CARsgen Secures European Patent Protection for GPC3-Targeted CAR-T Therapy Following Successful Defense at EPO
Key Insights
CARsgen Therapeutics successfully defended its European patent EP3445407 covering GPC3 (search)-targeted CAR-T cell therapy (search) after the sole remaining appellant withdrew its challenge on July 3, 2025.
The patent protects key claims for GPC3 (search) CAR-T therapy with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine pretreatment across multiple solid tumor types including liver, lung, ovarian, breast, gastric, and thyroid cancers.
The EPO Opposition Division's decision to maintain the patent in amended form is now final and binding, preventing any future challenges to the intellectual property.
CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited (search) has successfully defended its European patent covering GPC3 (search)-targeted CAR-T cell therapy (search), marking a significant milestone in the company's intellectual property strategy for solid tumor treatments. The Hong Kong-listed biopharmaceutical company announced that the sole remaining appellant in opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office (EPO) formally withdrew its appeal on July 3, 2025, rendering the EPO's decision to maintain the patent final and binding.
Patent Defense Concludes After Two-Year Challenge
The European patent EP3445407, originally granted by the EPO in 2022, faced opposition from two parties in 2023. Following oral proceedings, the EPO Opposition Division issued a decision to maintain the patent in amended form, upholding critical claims related to the use of GPC3 (search) CAR-T cell therapy (search) following cyclophosphamide and fludarabine lymphodepletion pretreatment. The protected treatment applications span multiple solid tumor types, including liver cancer (search), lung cancer (search), ovarian cancer (search), breast cancer (search), gastric cancer (search), and thyroid cancer (search).
After the Opposition Division's decision, only one opponent filed an appeal within the allowable period. The withdrawal of this appeal by the U.S.-based biotechnology company effectively concludes the opposition process, with no further challenges possible under EPO procedures.
Strengthened IP Position in Solid Tumor CAR-T
The successful patent defense reinforces CARsgen's intellectual property position in GPC3 (search)-targeted CAR-T therapies, which the company describes as "a promising and innovative approach for the treatment of solid tumors (search)." This development provides the company with enhanced protection for its therapeutic approach in the European market, where solid tumor treatments represent a significant area of unmet medical need.
CARsgen has positioned itself as a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative CAR T-cell therapies to address unmet clinical needs across hematologic malignancies (search), solid tumors (search), and autoimmune diseases (search). The company has established comprehensive capabilities spanning target discovery, preclinical research, product clinical development, and commercial-scale production.
Technology Platform and Development Strategy
The company's approach addresses key challenges faced by existing CAR T-cell therapies, with particular emphasis on improving safety profiles, enhancing efficacy in treating solid tumors (search), and reducing treatment costs. CARsgen has developed novel in-house technologies and maintains a product pipeline with global rights, positioning the company to compete in the expanding CAR-T therapy market.
The GPC3 (search)-targeted approach represents part of CARsgen's broader mission to become "a global biopharmaceutical leader that provides innovative and differentiated cell therapies for patients worldwide and makes cancer and other diseases curable." The successful patent defense provides a foundation for the company's continued development and potential commercialization of this therapeutic approach across multiple solid tumor indications in European markets.