American University of Sharjah (AUS) said it has been granted a third US patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering a breast cancer drug-delivery method developed by its researchers.
In a statement dated 3 November 2026, AUS said the patented approach combines drug-carrying capsules, a cancer-targeting antibody and ultrasound to release chemotherapy in a targeted area of a tumor.
The university said the method is led by Dr. Ghaleb Husseini, AUS Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Other contributors named by AUS include Dr. Mohammad Al-Sayah, Professor of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at the AUS College of Arts and Sciences, and Amal Elsadig, an AUS Master of Science in Chemical Engineering graduate (2018) who is currently a PhD student in chemical engineering at Khalifa University.
How the patented method works
AUS said the capsules used in the system are liposomes, described as tiny, hollow particles made from fats similar to those in cell membranes. The university said the liposomes carry chemotherapy and have antibodies attached to their outer surface.
According to AUS, the attached antibodies are intended to recognize and bind to proteins on cancer cells. The method then uses ultrasound directed at the tumor area to disrupt the capsules and release the chemotherapy at the targeted site.
Cetuximab version adds a new cancer target
AUS said this third patent adds a version of the method using cetuximab, an antibody designed to recognize EGFR, a protein found on some breast cancer cells.
The university said earlier patents in the same family focused on trastuzumab (also known as Herceptin), which targets a different protein, HER2. AUS said the cetuximab version therefore targets cancer cells with high levels of EGFR.
AUS also noted that it may be relevant to some triple-negative breast cancers, which test negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2. The university said some of these tumors have high levels of EGFR.
Earlier patent family and planned next steps
AUS said the patent is the latest in a family based on an invention first filed in 2017. It said the earlier US patents were granted in 2020 and 2024, with the first covering Herceptin-targeted capsules and the second adding additional ultrasound frequencies and power levels.
On future work, AUS said animal studies of the Herceptin-targeted capsules are ongoing to assess safety and effectiveness. The university said it plans to study the cetuximab-targeted capsules after completing that work.
AUS added that before the approach could be considered for human testing, it would require further research, production to pharmaceutical standards, formal safety testing and regulatory approval.
Comments from the research team
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Dr. Husseini said, according to AUS, that the patent extends the research to capsules using cetuximab to recognize EGFR, and that ultrasound triggers the release of chemotherapy at the targeted area.
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Dr. Al-Sayah said, according to AUS, that some triple-negative breast cancers have high EGFR levels and that further studies are needed because the cetuximab-targeted capsules “have not yet been tested.”
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Elsadig said, according to AUS, that she is proud to see the work recognized with a patent and that further testing will help determine whether the method can progress toward future development.
Research support and collaborators
AUS said the research was conducted by its Ultrasound in Cancer Research Group, with contributions from undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows.
The university named Dr. Remya Radha and Dr. Vinod Paul as postdoctoral fellows at AUS and Dr. Shabana Anjum as a postdoctoral research fellow at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, whose work is described as contributing to the ongoing animal studies.
AUS attributed support for the research to multiple funding sources, including the AUS Faculty Research Grants, the Al Jalila Foundation, the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, Patients Friends House in the Emirate of Sharjah, the Takamul Program by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, the Technology Innovation Pioneer (TIP) Healthcare Awards, the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, the Friends of Cancer Patients, and the Dana Gas Endowed Chair for Chemical Engineering.
AUS said the patent adds to a broader portfolio of patents secured by its researchers across different fields and highlighted what it described as the university’s interdisciplinary research environment.
