PR Newswire·Oct 5, 2026, 7:45 AM ET

TuHURA Biosciences Receives Key U.S. Patent for its Groundbreaking Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR) Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) Technology

TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: HURA) received U.S. Patent No. 12,734,168 from the USPTO on September 15, 2026, covering Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR) antagonists.
The patent protects methods for administering DOR antagonists to subjects with cancer associated with DOR-expressing Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) to reprogram the immunosuppressive microenvironment.
The patent term extends through 2043 before any potential patent term extension.
The patent discloses uses of DOR antagonists beyond Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), including autologous or allogeneic adoptive cellular immunotherapies like CAR-T, Tregs, or TIL cell therapies.
TuHURA aims to advance its novel bi-functional, bi-specific immune-modulating ADCs targeting DOR on MDSCs toward proof-of-concept in preclinical models of blood-related cancers such as AML and MDS.
TuHURA's lead innate immune agonist, IFx-2.0, is currently in a Phase 3 registration trial as an adjunctive therapy to Keytruda for first-line treatment of advanced or metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma.
The company is developing TBS2025, a VISTA-inhibiting mAb, moving into a Phase 1b clinical trial for patients with mutNPM1 r/r AML.
Dr. James Bianco, President & CEO, stated that inhibiting DOR on MDSCs may prevent T cell exhaustion and improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies by removing the immunosuppressive shield.