Korea's LigaChem Biosciences announced on the 5th that it has signed two contracts to introduce new antibody technology from NovaRock Biotherapeutics in the United States.
Through this agreement, the two companies will jointly research antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates, securing global exclusive rights for development and commercialization of these antibodies.
The company stated that it will not disclose details such as the contract amount and the introduced antibodies to maintain commercial confidentiality.
ADC is a key technology of next-generation cancer drugs, referred to as 'guided missiles' that target cancer cells. The drug is attached to the antibody, allowing it to be delivered precisely to cancer cells only. The principle is that when the antibody reaches the antigen on the cancer cell, the attached drug exerts its therapeutic effects. This has the advantage of higher efficacy compared to existing cancer drugs while reducing adverse effects on normal cells.
LigaChem Biosciences plans to secure ADC candidates using its ADC platform. The company has developed a linker technology called ConjuAll, which combines the desired amount of drug to specific sites on the antibody, resulting in a total of 14 transfer agreements.
The company explained that the two antibody targets introduced this time are highly expressed in various solid cancers, including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer, but that no ADCs have been approved to date for these targets.
Kim Yong-joo, CEO of LigaChem Biosciences, said, 'We have introduced four new cancer-targeting antibodies just this year,' adding, 'We will strengthen partnerships with corporations that possess excellent antibody technology both domestically and internationally to focus on securing ADC pipelines with high transfer value.'