Biocytogen and Acepodia Join Forces to Advance Bispecific Antibody and Dual-Payload ADCs for Treating Complex Tumors

Collaboration initiates development of dual-payload bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (BsAD2Cs) Biocytogen’s RenLite® meets Acepodia’s AD2C for precision oncology solutions

Biocytogen (HKEX: 02315) and Acepodia (6976:TT), today announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership to jointly assess a dual-payload bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (BsAD2C) program.

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Biocytogen and Acepodia Join Forces to Advance Bispecific Antibody and Dual-Payload ADCs for Treating Complex Tumors. (Graphic: Business Wire)

This collaboration combines Biocytogen’s RenLite® platform with Acepodia’s Antibody-Dual-Drugs Conjugation (AD2C) technology to tackle some of the toughest challenges in oncology—tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. This novel approach aims to address these complexities by utilizing dual-payloads that target multiple therapeutic or disease pathways. These payloads are delivered with bispecific antibodies that enable enhanced precision and functionality.

As part of the strategic partnership, Biocytogen will provide a bispecific antibody derived from its proprietary RenLite® platform, which is designed to produce fully human bispecific antibodies with unique binding properties. To this antibody, Acepodia will integrate two different payloads using its Antibody-Dual-Drugs Conjugation (AD2C) platform. This platform enables site-selective conjugation of multiple payloads to an antibody using bio-orthogonal click chemistry with no required antibody engineering, maintaining antibody integrity and binding capacity, and allowing strategic and precise control over the Drug-to-Antibody Ratio (DAR) for optimal potency and safety.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Acepodia team who brings deep expertise in bio-orthogonal click chemistry and the unique opportunity to combine our RenLite® bispecific antibodies with site-selective dual-payload conjugates,” said Dr. Yuelei Shen, President and CEO of Biocytogen. “We look forward to bridging our platforms to explore the therapeutic potential of highly potent BsADCs.”

“Biocytogen’s superior bispecific antibodies and highly collaborative team make them an ideal partner for advancing our AD2C payload platform,” said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Acepodia. “This partnership redefines the possibilities of ADC design, with the potential to deliver breakthrough therapies to patients in desperate need of new options.”

This strategic partnership underscores the commitment of both companies to addressing the critical unmet needs in ADC drug development for solid tumors, paving the way for innovative therapies that improve patient outcomes

About Biocytogen

Biocytogen (HKEX: 02315) is a global biotechnology company that drives the research and development of novel antibody-based drugs with innovative technologies. Founded on gene editing technology, Biocytogen leverages genetically engineered proprietary RenMice® (RenMab™/ RenLite®/ RenNano®/ RenTCR-mimic™ ) platforms for fully human monoclonal/bispecific/multispecific antibody discovery, bispecific antibody-drug conjugate discovery, nanobody discovery and TCR-mimic antibody discovery, and has established a sub-brand, RenBiologics™, to explore global partnerships for an off-the-shelf library of >400,000 fully human antibody sequences against approximately 1000 targets for worldwide collaboration. As of June 30, 2024, approximately 150 therapeutic antibody and multiple clinical asset co-development/out-licensing/transfer agreements and nearly 50 target-nominated RenMice® licensing projects have been established around the globe, including several partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs). Biocytogen pioneered the generation of drug target knock-in humanized models for preclinical research, and currently provides a few thousand off-the-shelf animal and cell models under the company's sub-brand, BioMice™, along with preclinical pharmacology and gene-editing services for clients worldwide. Headquartered in Beijing, Biocytogen has branches in China (Haimen Jiangsu, Shanghai), USA (Boston, San Francisco), and Germany (Heidelberg). For more information, please visit http://en.biocytogen.com.cn.

About Acepodia

Acepodia is transforming cancer and autoimmune disease treatment with first-in-class immune cell engagers that deliver enhanced and targeted potency through multiple conjugation platforms. Leveraging a family of bio-orthogonal click chemistry approaches originating from Nobel Prize laureate Carolyn Bertozzi’s lab, Acepodia’s platforms are designed to improve safety and offer broad applicability across hematologic and solid tumor cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases. By combining innovative science with a patient-centric vision, Acepodia aims to bring powerful, next-generation therapies to patients underserved by today’s treatments. For more information, please visit https://www.acepodia.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the potential therapeutic benefits, evaluation outcomes, and future development strategies for the dual-payload BsAD2C program. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. Neither Biocytogen nor Acepodia undertakes any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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