Samsung Bioepis and Intocell have announced the signing of a joint research agreement for the development and validation of candidate materials in the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC).

Founded in 2015, Intocell is a Korean company focused on the development of ADC linker-drug technologies. The company has secured numerous exatecan class candidates, a new chemokine drug, along with proprietary technology, including OHPAS, which stably connects and releases various drugs, and payload modification technology, increasing the selectivity of ADCs.

Under this agreement, Intocell will provide its unique linker and drug technologies, while Samsung Bioepis plans to manufacture up to five anticancer target ADC materials and evaluate their characteristics. Neither company disclosed the research contract period and total contract size.

Samsung Bioepis intends to verify Intocell's ADC technology competitiveness, including animal experiments, before discussing the option to sign a more detailed contract involving development and licensing.

"Samsung Bioepis' rich experience and rapid development capabilities and Intocell's novel linker-drug technology are the best combination to maximize synergies," Intocell CEO Park Tae-kyo said.

Samsung Bioepis Research and Early Development Division Leader Cho Ho-sung also said, "We look forward to collaborating with Intocell, which has excellent technology in the field of linkers and drugs, which is the core technology of ADCs."

Based on the development capabilities accumulated through the biosimilar business, this agreement is part of Samsung Bioepis' exploration of various new business opportunities to address unmet patient needs, Cho added.

Meanwhile, Intocell recently won the 2023 Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)-Amgen Pitching Day, a program to discover and support domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies, providing research and development mentorship opportunities with Amgen in November.

As the winner, Intocell received a total of 80 million won ($61,078) in prize money and will receive a one-year mentorship opportunity with Amgen's global R&D department.