Aptamer Science Signs Contract for Anticancer Drug Contract Manufacturing with China's Kailaiying

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji-hwan Park] Aptamer Science announced on the 4th that it has signed a CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) agreement with China's Kairaiying (Asymchem).

According to Aptamer Science, Asymchem is one of the leading global CDMO companies. This contract is for the GMP process development and clinical sample production of AST-201, an aptamer-drug conjugate (ApDC)-based anticancer therapy developed by Aptamer Science.

AST-201 is an ApDC-based targeted therapy that internalizes the anticancer drug gemcitabine in a prodrug form within the aptamer structure targeting cancer. It is characterized by the application of an aptamer that is specific and selective to the tumor biomarker GPC3 protein, designed to minimize the systemic side effects of gemcitabine and maximize target-specific anticancer effects. Additionally, by internalizing gemcitabine within the aptamer, it has the advantage of overcoming tumor drug resistance mechanisms.

Furthermore, compared to antibodies, aptamers have a relatively shorter half-life in the blood, minimizing systemic drug exposure while exhibiting high tumor selectivity and tissue permeability. The company explained that this effectively overcomes the toxicity side effects caused by early drug release before target delivery, which is a major obstacle in the development of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies. A company representative stated, "We will strive to enter the clinical development stage as quickly as possible through close collaboration with Asymchem."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.