Nano Intelligence Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC) said Monday that it has acquired a patent regarding its anti-cancer peptide patent in the U.S.

The patent, titled “Anti-Cancer Peptide for Inhibition of Proliferation on the Cancer Stem Cells and Use Thereof,” refers to a technique for an anti-cancer functional peptide that inhibits the proliferation of cancer stem cells presented in cancer tissues and induces apoptosis.

The company said conventional chemotherapy does not entirely inhibit cancer stem cells, which can form and spread cancer, resulting in a high recurrence rate.

“This peptide selectively inhibits proteins expressed in cancer stem cells and produces anti-cancer effects,” a company official said. “It acts only on cancer stem cells and is not toxic to normal cells.” It also has similar target selection and binding ability to antibodies and controls the growth and recurrence of cancer tissues, he added.

The company believes the peptide treatment will become a breakthrough in treating cancer.

“We expect that the treatment will better efficacy and safety than conventional anticancer drugs or antibody-based anticancer drugs,” the company official said. “We also believe the peptide will be more effective when used in cancer treatments with high recurrence rates, such as breast and ovarian cancer."

The company noted that it developed the peptide technology as recurrence rate in a cancer patient is more than 80 percent.

“We are planning to undergo pre-clinical trials to verify the efficacy of anticancer s through overseas institutions, as well as source technology, drug development and technology transfer,” the official added.