Bridge Biotherapeutics said on Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pinotbio to derive new therapeutic cancer candidates using antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform technology.

Accordingly, Bridge Biotherapeutics will provide private anticancer targets, and Pinotbio will provide linkers and drugs applied to its platform, PINOT-ADC, to continue technology and information exchange for the next two years. Per the agreement, if new candidate materials are derived, detailed conditions will lead to specified technology transfers and joint R&D contracts.

Bridge Biotherapeutics is targetting lung cancer therapeutics with EGFR C797S mutations that occur after taking third-generation lung cancer drugs. Pinotbio possess a the third generation ADC platform called Pinot-ADC which has already sucessfully launched camtothecin-based drugs like Daiichi Sankyo's ADC new drug, Enhertu (ingredient: trastuzumab deruxtecan), and Gilead's Trodelvy (ingredient: sacituzumab govitecan).

The platform increased the possibility of overcoming resistant cancer cells through a dual action mechanism while minimizing the impact of off-target drugs with its excellent pharmacokinetic profile.

In particular, Pinotbio has proven equivalent safety and excellent anticancer efficacy in various preclinical comparison experiments with Enhertu and Trodelvy, and published related data at the World ADC conference held last year.

"Following the development of lung cancer treatments through targeted anticancer methods, we will actively examine the possibility of developing new treatment options in various cancers by combining ADC platforms," said Bridge Biotherapeutics CEO James Lee.

"We are pleased to sign an ADC development MOU with Bridge Biotherapeutics which possesses sufficient clinical and business development organizations," said Pinotbio CEO Jung Doo-young. "We look forward to merging this with our R&D experience in anticancer drugs targeting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)."