SOTIO Biotech, Biocytogen Ink Research and License Agreement to Develop Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates

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SOTIO Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company owned by PPF Group, and Biocytogen have agreed to terms on a research collaboration and exclusive option and license agreement. According to the companies, the deal will aim to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for targeting solid tumors, while SOTIO will also have the ability to utilize Biocytogen’s proprietary ADC platform.

“SOTIO’s powerful ADC platform brings together multiple technologies, allowing us to tailor our therapeutics to meet the needs of specific cancer types. Specifically, exploiting bispecific targeting in the context of our ADC approaches to improve precision targeting and overcome tumor heterogeneity is particularly appealing,” said Martin Steegmaier, PhD, chief scientific officer SOTIO, in a press release. “This agreement with Biocytogen complements our existing collaborations with Synaffix, LigaChem, and NBE-Therapeutics, providing SOTIO with access to fully human antibodies from Biocytogen’s state-of-the-art in vivo discovery platform. With the first targets for a bispecific program already selected, we are well-positioned to expand our ADC pipeline and the therapeutic possibilities for patients with solid tumors.”

As per the agreement, Biocytogen will receive up to $325.5 million in upfront, milestone payments, and low single-digit royalties on net sales. SOTIO and Biocytogen are also expected to collaborate in unison during the research phase of the bispecific programs. Moving forward, SOTIO will take sole responsibility for non-clinical and clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization.¹

“We are eager to deploy Biocytogen’s cutting-edge tools for antibody discovery to support SOTIO’s exciting ADC development plans,” said Yuelei Shen, PhD., president, CEO, Biocytogen, in the press release. “Our unique RenMice platforms allow us to discover fully human antibodies with high affinity, low immunogenicity, and favorable developability. We look forward to working with SOTIO to advance novel therapeutics that have the potential to improve cancer treatment.”

This isn’t the first time SOTIO licensed another company’s ADC technology. Last October, the company also agreed to terms with Synaffix to implement its ADC platform for the treatment of solid tumors. The company stated that it expects to use the technology to develop up to three novel ADCs targeting distinct tumor-associated antigens.

Regarding terms of the deal, Snyaffix is eligible to receive upfront and potential milestone payments worth up to $740 million, plus single-digit royalties on net sales. Similar to the deal with Biocytogen, the agreement indicated that SOTIO would be responsible for research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the ADC products, with Synaffix supporting research activities and manufacturing components that are specifically related to its GlycoConnect, HydraSpace, and linker-payload technologies.²

“At SOTIO, we are building a broad pipeline of next-generation ADCs to address the challenges of solid tumors—and access to Synaffix’s ADC platform technologies will ensure we remain at the leading edge of this space,” said Radek Spisek, MD, PhD, CEO, SOTIO, in a press release. “This collaboration combining SOTIO’s deep expertise in solid tumor drug development with Synaffix’s clinical-stage platform technology will drive important new innovations for the benefit of patients.”

Currently, SOTIO’s pipeline includes three clinical-stage programs: SOT102, a next-generation Claudin-18.2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate; BOXR1030, a metabolically-enhanced CAR T-cell therapy targeting GPC3-expressing tumors; and SOT201, a next-generation PD-1-targeting immunocytokine.1 In May, the company announced that the first patient had been dosed in a Phase I clinical study of SOT201 in patients with solid tumors.3 Last month, the company presented data from the DUET-01 Phase I/IItrial that evaluated the use of BOXR1030 in patients with solid tumors at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.⁴

References

1. SOTIO Enters into Multi-Target Antibody Agreement with Biocytogen to Expand ADC Pipeline. Sotio. July 16, 2024. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://sotio.com/news-publications/news/sotio-enters-into-multi-target-antibody-agreement-with-biocytogen-to-expand-adc-pipeline

2. SOTIO Further Expands Next-Generation ADC Platform with License to Synaffix’s ADC Technology. Sotio. October 16, 2023. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://sotio.com/news-publications/news/sotio-further-expands-next-generation-adc-platform-with-license-to-synaffix-s-adc-technology

3. SOTIO Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Study of SOT201 for Patients with Solid Tumors. Sotio. May 28, 2024. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://sotio.com/news-publications/news/sotio-announces-first-patient-dosed-in-phase-1-clinical-study-of-sot201-for-patients-with-solid-tumors

4. SOTIO Presents Overview of DUET-01 Phase 1/2 Study at ASCO Annual Meeting. Sotio. May 23, 2024. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://sotio.com/news-publications/news/sotio-presents-overview-of-duet-01-phase-1-2-study-at-asco-annual-meeting