By Fineline Cube 
China-based Harbour BioMed (HKG: 2142) announced that the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has upheld the validity of its “Binding Molecule” patent (No. CN201210057668.0) under relevant provisions of China’s Patent Law. The patent covers a method for producing fully human heavy-chain-only antibodies (HCAb) using transgenic animals. The invalidation request was filed by Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd (HKG: 2315).
Legal Proceedings
Harbour Bio filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Biocytogen’s RenNano platform with the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court in September 2024. Biocytogen challenged jurisdiction, which was initially rejected. The company then appealed to China’s Supreme People’s Court in March 2025, which upheld the Shanghai court’s jurisdiction. The case has now proceeded to the next stage of trial.
Biocytogen’s Response
Biocytogen responded that it will evaluate legal options regarding CNIPA’s decision, emphasizing that the jurisdiction ruling was procedural only. The company maintains strong confidence in the RenNano platform’s technical originality, patent legitimacy, and regulatory compliance of its industrialization path.
Technical Comparison
Biocytogen underlined that its RenNano platform replaces large fragments with 120+ human V genes (complete human heavy-chain variable region). In contrast, Harbour Bio’s HCAb platform uses 9 V genes (small – fragment transgenic technology).-Fineline Info & Tech