Samsung Life Science Fund Invests in China's Phrontline Biopharma

On November 25, Samsung announced that it will invest in Phrontline Biopharma, a Chinese company with an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology platform and pipeline, through the Life Science Fund established to foster new technologies and business development in the bio sector.

The Samsung Life Science Fund is a venture investment fund jointly established by Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, and Samsung Bioepis. Samsung Venture Investment Corporation has formed and currently manages the fund.

ADC is the fastest-growing anti-cancer modality in the global market and is being utilized in research for cancer therapies and treatments for autoimmune diseases.

Through its investment in Phrontline, which is developing next-generation ADC anti-cancer drugs based on bispecific antibodies and dual payloads, Samsung plans to actively seek opportunities for collaboration that can strengthen its core research in the ADC field and discover promising future businesses.

Phrontline's bispecific antibody and dual payload platform enhances payload delivery efficiency and enables the simultaneous delivery of two complementary payloads. This approach can overcome the limitations of single payload or single target ADCs, such as resistance, vulnerability to tumor heterogeneity, and insufficient response durability.

Phrontline is currently conducting global clinical trials for bispecific antibody ADCs. In the first quarter of next year, additional clinical entry is planned for ADCs utilizing bispecific antibody and dual payload technology, further demonstrating the company's technological competitiveness in ADCs.

In addition, last month, Samsung Bioepis signed a joint research partnership agreement with Phrontline for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of ADC candidate substances. Under this agreement, Samsung Bioepis secured joint development rights for two pipeline products owned by Phrontline and obtained an exclusive license to apply one payload to other development products of Samsung Bioepis.

This investment has further solidified the collaborative structure established through the joint research partnership in October, representing a strategic move to build a long-term partnership for sharing Samsung's core research resources and mutual technological advancement, as well as to enhance the stability and execution of the collaboration.

Seo Minjeong, Head of Exploration at Samsung Bioepis (Executive Director), stated, "By following up our partnership with an investment in Phrontline, we will secure meaningful technological influence in the global ADC market. We plan to further strengthen our readiness for future technologies through various partnerships and investments going forward."

Meanwhile, since its establishment in 2021, the Life Science Fund managed by Samsung Venture Investment Corporation has invested in a wide range of fields, including gene therapies, ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates), blood protein analysis technologies, generative AI-based protein drug development, and gene editing technologies.

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