Idience and Aptis Sign Joint Development Agreement for Next-Generation Dual Payload ADCs

Idience, an anticancer drug development company under Ildong Pharmaceutical Group, announced on August 12 that it has signed a joint development agreement for next-generation dual payload antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with Aptis, a Dong-A Socio Group company specializing in ADC platforms.

At the agreement ceremony held at the headquarters of Ildong Pharmaceutical Group on the 11th, Lee Wonsik, CEO of Idions (left), and Han Taedong, CEO of Aptis, are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Ildong Pharmaceutical

Dual payload ADCs are drugs that combine two or more payloads with different mechanisms of action onto a single antibody, thereby inhibiting and destroying cancer cells.

Regarding the joint development initiative, the companies explained that they are joining forces to develop precision therapeutics that can overcome the limitations of existing single payload ADCs, such as tumor heterogeneity and anticancer drug resistance.

Under the agreement, both parties plan to develop ADCs that maximize therapeutic efficacy and safety by utilizing Idience's next-generation PARP inhibitor anticancer agent, Venadaparib, and Aptis's site-selective conjugation technology, AbClick®.

Starting from the signing of the agreement, the two companies will begin proof-of-concept (PoC) work to identify candidate substances and conduct preclinical research. They also intend to focus their capabilities on developing innovative anticancer drugs that can be applied to various cancer types, based on future research data and outcomes.

Lee Wonsik, CEO of Idience, stated, "This project is a groundbreaking attempt to expand PARP inhibitors as ADC payloads based on combination therapy clinical data. We expect this to be an opportunity to secure differentiated candidates and technological competitiveness in the global ADC market."

Han Taedong, CEO of Aptis, commented, "By combining Aptis's proprietary ADC technologies and platforms with Idience's promising anticancer drug pipeline, we aim to create synergistic effects. We hope this will serve as a turning point that opens a new chapter in the development of next-generation dual payload ADCs."

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