CStone Pharmaceuticals (HKG:2616) said a patent was published for its internally developed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) CS5006 on October 10, according to a filing with the Hong Kong bourse.

CS5006 is a new type of cancer drug designed to target a protein called integrin β4 (ITGB4), which combines with another protein, integrin α6 (ITGA6), to form a pair called α6β4. Using advanced technology and AI, researchers found that ITGB4 is common in cancers like lung, colon, esophageal, and head and neck cancers. This discovery suggests that targeting ITGB4 may be an effective way to treat these cancers.

The pharmaceutical company's shares were down nearly 3% in recent trading.