Dong-A ST and IMBiologics said they have entered into a research collaboration agreement to develop a novel antibody drug candidate.
The collaboration involves IMBiologics deploying its ePENDY (enhanced/engineered Pentamer body) platform technology.
Unlike the conventional IgG antibody-based modalities, IMBiologics stressed that ePENDY is founded on an IgM antibody-based multivalent antibody backbone, which is designed to enhance binding affinity and therapeutic efficacy even at lower doses.
Dong-A ST will be responsible for verifying the effectiveness of the ePENDY-based candidates and overseeing their mass production. Although Dong-A ST will bear the research costs, the two companies did not unveil specifics regarding the drug concept and the details of the agreement, citing contractual reasons.
"We are very pleased with this collaboration with Dong-A ST," IMBiologics CEO Ha Gyong-sik said. "We will continue to explore partnerships with domestic and international companies and expand our pipeline of innovative antibody drugs based on ePENDY technology through collaboration."
Dong-A ST R&D President Park Jae-hong also said, "Through this agreement, we plan to secure a pipeline of antibody drugs utilizing IMBiologics' ePENDY platform technology and further strengthen our R&D competitiveness."
The company will focus its R&D capabilities on developing innovative new drugs using new modalities and work closely together, Park added.