Hanmi Pharmaceutical said it would develop antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) using bispecific antibody platform Pentambody with Beijing Hanmi Pharm (Beijing Hanmi) and LegoChem Biosciences.
Under the contract agreed on Thursday, Hanmi Pharmaceutical and LegoChem Biosciences would discover next-generation bispecific ADC candidates by applying the latter’s ADC linker-toxin platform to bispecific antibody material that binds the two different antigens.
Bispecific ADC is expected to present a new solution in the immuno-oncology market by combining antibodies with an immunomodulatory drug rather than a cytotoxic drug, according to Hanmi.
Pentambody, a bi-specific antibody platform developed by Beijing Hanmi, is a next-generation technology that allows one antibody to bind to two different targets simultaneously. It has a structure similar to immunoglobulin G, so it has excellent immunogenicity and stability with high production efficiency.
Bi-specific ADC increases cancer cell specificity and minimizes toxicity in normal cells by recognizing two different cancer-specific antigens present in the same tumor cell.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical and LegoChem Biosciences plan to focus on research capabilities to conduct preclinical studies next year by starting research in discovering candidate materials.
“We will work with Hanmi Pharmaceutical, which has global drug development capabilities, to lead the bi-specific ADC field currently led by multinational pharmaceutical companies in a short time,” LegoChem Biosciences CEO Kim Yong-zu said.
Beijing Hanmi Yhim Hae-ryong said, “Pentambody has recently shown clinical safety and effectiveness, and it is entering a more developed stage as a base technology by deriving novel programs.”
The company added that it plans to expand collaboration with new drug developers new drugs in the future.
“We are glad that the two partners with know-how and technology in the ADC and bi-specific antibody field, which are emerging in the anticancer drug market, met and decided to collaborate,” Hanmi Pharmaceutical CEO Kwon Se-chang said. “We will do our best in the joint research and actively develop the market for successful global commercialization.”