Pilatus Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel metabolic checkpoint immunotherapies for cancer, today announced two intellectual property milestones for PLT012, its lead investigational anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody: receipt of a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application No. 18/844,588 and completion of the acquisition of worldwide rights to the related patent family derived from PCT/US2023/063766.

These achievements followed the Company’s previously announced dosing of the first patient in the United States and completion of the associated development efforts. Together, these milestones give Pilatus direct ownership and control of the worldwide patent family, enabling the Company to manage its prosecution, maintain and enforce these patent rights as it advances the program in connection with potential future development, partnering and other strategic opportunities.

The patent family, titled “Anti-CD36 Antibodies and Uses Thereof,” is derived from PCT/US2023/063766 and relates to anti-CD36 antibodies including PLT012 and their therapeutic applications. The patent family describes antibodies designed to bind to human CD36 with high affinity and inhibit CD36-mediated biological functions, including fatty acid transport and associated immune-regulatory effects.

“These developments mark an important step in strengthening the IP foundation for PLT012 as we continue to advance the program,” said Raven Lin, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pilatus Biosciences. “Following our first-patient-dosing milestone in the United States, we have consolidated ownership of the worldwide patent family supporting PLT012 and secured a Notice of Allowance for a key U.S. patent application. These milestones further strengthen our IP position around our lead program and our ability to protect and advance PLT012 through clinical development while pursuing future development and strategic opportunities.”

PLT012 is designed to block CD36-mediated lipid uptake, a mechanism implicated in metabolic dysfunction and immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment (“TME”). By inhibiting this pathway, Pilatus aims to restore antitumor immune activity via TME reprogramming. These developments build on Pilatus’ expanding IP portfolio around CD36. In October 2025, the Company announced the grant of foundational patents in Europe and Australia from a separate patent family exclusively licensed to Pilatus from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Lausanne, covering the modulation of regulatory T cells and inhibition of tumor growth through CD36 targeting. This exclusively licensed patent family, and the newly acquired worldwide patent family directly owned by Pilatus, provide complementary layers of IP protection around Pilatus’ CD36-targeted approach and PLT012 as the Company advances its broader metabolic checkpoint platform.

About PLT012

PLT012 is the lead investigational therapy from Pilatus Biosciences’ first-in-class CD36 metabolic checkpoint platform. The humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody selectively blocks CD36, a key regulator of lipid metabolism, inflammation and tissue repair. PLT012 is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1 oncology clinical trial, where it has demonstrated early evidence of disease control together with a favorable safety profile. In preclinical studies, PLT012 has demonstrated disease-modifying activity across oncology, MASH and COPD, supporting Pilatus’ Pipeline-in-a-Product strategy to develop a single differentiated mechanism across multiple high-unmet-need indications.

About Pilatus Biosciences

Pilatus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering metabolic checkpoint therapeutics for cancer and immune-related diseases. Founded in 2022 from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and supported by the Cancer Research Institute, Pilatus operates internationally with R&D teams in Switzerland, U.S, and Taiwan. The company’s lead program, PLT012, targets CD36 to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and restore anti-tumor immunity in solid tumors. For more information, visit www.pilatusbio.com.

Media gallery

About The Author
Business Wire