[Song Young-doo, Edaily Reporter] Shares of Sillajen and its parent company M2N hit the daily upper limit Monday after the biotech firm secured patents and expanded clinical trial approval for its cancer drug candidate. Vaxcell Bio also rallied on news of a domestic patent registration. Meanwhile, Bridge Biotherapeutics continued to slump after a clinical trial failure.

Sillajen stock trend (Source=KG Zeroin MPDoctor)

Sillajen closed at 3,170 won, up 29.92%, marking its ninth straight session of gains. The rally came after the company received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to expand its ongoing Phase 1 trial for BAL0891 to include patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia(AML), in addition to advanced solid tumors.

The company also announced that it acquired full rights to BAL0891’s compound and biomarker patents from Dutch biotech Crossfire for 2 million Swiss francs(approximately 3.5 billion won). The drug was initially developed by Crossfire and later licensed by Swiss pharmaceutical firm Basilea.

Previously, Sillajen had only obtained partial rights from Basilea in 2022, but had left out Crossfire’s share. The company said it moved to secure the full intellectual property rights after evaluating BAL0891’s potential for further development and licensing deals.

“Patent rights were split between Basilea and Crossfire, complicating milestone payment structures” a Sillajen official said. “With Crossfire in urgent need of funds and Basilea mediating, we were able to preemptively resolve potential IP issues that could hinder future licensing.”

Shares of M2N, Sillajen’s parent firm, closed 29.96% higher at 2,270 won.

Vaxcell Bio rallies on NK cell therapy patent

Vaxcell Bio also hit the upper limit, closing up 25.55% at 10,580 won. The jump followed the registration of a domestic patent related to its natural killer (NK) cell manufacturing technology and its application in liver cancer treatment.

The patent covers a method to selectively expand high-function NK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which are key to the company’s autologous NK cell therapy platform, VCB-1102.

In a Phase 2a trial targeting advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, VCB-1102 demonstrated a 36.4% complete response rate and a 63.6% objective response rate. Vaxcell said the patented method enhances the purity and activity of NK cells, making it potentially applicable to other solid tumors as well.

“The patent registration validates our core technology and paves the way for overseas recognition and protection” the company said. CEO Lee Jejoong added, “This is a significant milestone that reinforces our competitiveness in NK cell-based immunotherapies.”

Bridge Biotherapeutics extends losses despite avoiding limitNdown

Bridge Biotherapeutics fell 16.57% to 1,264 won, extending losses after a failed Phase 2 trial for its idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis drug candidate BBT-877. The stock had hit the lower limit for five consecutive sessions before Monday’s partial rebound.

The clinical failure has added pressure to a company already facing delisting risk due to capital impairment. CEO Lee Jungkyu said last week that the company is seeking strategic partnerships and financial backing to secure its listing status.

“I’m open to relinquishing control to ensure sustainable development,” Lee said. “We aim to secure capital within the year and out-license other clinical assets to generate meaningful results.”

However, some industry analysts remain skeptical, citing the uncertainty of raising funds and the company’s heavy dependence on a single pipeline.