ABL Bio Taps into Synaffix ADC Technology to Accelerate Development of Bispecific ADC Products

• License from Synaffix focuses on bispecific ADCs
• This close collaboration between ABL Bio and Synaffix provides optimal conditions to accelerate research and development of resulting next-generation bioconjugates

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synaffix B.V., a Lonza company (SIX: LONN) focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index, today announces a licensing agreement to develop bispecific ADCs with ABL Bio, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 298380), a clinical-stage biotech developing bispecific antibody technology for immuno-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases.

Synaffix will receive an upfront payment, milestone payments and tiered royalties on net sales of resulting products and will be responsible for manufacturing components specifically related to its proprietary technologies. ABL Bio will be responsible for the research, development, and commercialization of any bispecific ADCs developed under the agreement. Following the recent acquisition of Synaffix by Lonza, ABL Bio considers Lonza as a potential partner for clinical production of the antibody to be used in the first program, underscoring the strong and immediate post-merger synergies. The first program will commence upon deal signature with options exercisable for up to two additional programs over time.

ADCs prepared from bispecific antibodies are designed to overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutic ADCs that target only a single antigen on the targeted cancer cell. By designing ADCs that must bind to two different targets in order to produce a therapeutic effect, it is possible to target cancerous cells more specifically and further improve the therapeutic safety profile.

Peter van de Sande, Head of Synaffix, said: "Under our collaboration with ABL Bio, we will focus on the discovery and development of cutting-edge bispecific ADCs. It underlines the vast and growing potential of Synaffix's innovative technology platforms for engineering smart, targeted biologics that deliver therapeutic payloads with best-in-class therapeutic index. Following our recent acquisition by Lonza, our collective capabilities now enable a more comprehensive offering that extends to essential early development and production services."

Sang Hoon Lee, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of ABL Bio, added: "We are excited by the potential of this partnership with Synaffix, allowing us to further build on our understanding of the potential of this new area of ADC research combined with Synaffix's award-winning ADC technology platform. The speed of R&D is increasingly important to secure a foothold in the burgeoning ADC market. With close collaboration between ABL Bio and Synaffix, I'm confident that we will achieve remarkable results in the ADC field."

About Synaffix

Synaffix B.V. is a biotechnology company that enables ADC product candidates using its clinical-stage, site-specific ADC technology platform based on GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and toxSYN™, that together enable any company with an antibody to develop proprietary best-in-class ADC products under a single license from Synaffix.

The Synaffix platform enables a rapid timeline to clinic due to the established supply chain of technology components. Granted patents covering Synaffix' technology provide end-to-end protection of the manufacturing technology as well as the resulting products through at least 2039. The business model of Synaffix is target-specific technology out-licensing, as exemplified through its existing deals with ADC Therapeutics, Mersana Therapeutics, Shanghai Miracogen (acquired by Lepu Biopharma), Innovent Biologics, ProfoundBio, Kyowa Kirin, Genmab, Macrogenics, Emergence Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly), Amgen, Hummingbird Biosciences and Chong Kun Dang Pharma.

Synaffix was acquired by Lonza in May 2023, which expands the one-stop-shop technology licensing model of Synaffix with the industry-leading contract manufacturing and development services of Lonza.

About The Synaffix ADC Platform Technology

Synaffix's proprietary ADC technology platform consists of GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and toxSYN™ technologies. These technologies are aimed at enabling best-in-class ADCs from any antibody, with significantly enhanced efficacy and tolerability. 

GlycoConnect™ is a clinical-stage conjugation technology that exploits the native antibody glycan for site-specific and stable payload attachment and is tunable to any specific DAR format. HydraSpace™ is a clinical-stage compact and highly polar spacer technology that is designed to further enhance therapeutic index, particularly with hydrophobic payloads. toxSYN™ is a linker-payload platform that spans key, validated MOAs for ADC product development. This includes potent topoisomerase 1 inhibitor (SYNtecan E™), DNA damaging agents (SYNeamicin D™ and SYNeamicin G™), ⍺-Microtubule (SYNtansine™) and β-Microtubule (SYNstatin E™ and SYNstatin F™) inhibitors as well as several other proprietary linker-payloads that were generated through the ongoing innovative efforts of the Synaffix R&D team.

The combination of these three technologies provides developers with a "one stop" and easy-to-use ADC technology platform, allowing any antibody developer to develop its own proprietary ADC and any ADC developer to expand its pipeline further and increase its competitive position.

About ABL Bio

ABL Bio, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 298380) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapeutics for immune-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. With internal R&D and global partnerships, ABL has developed multiple BsAb platforms, such as 'Grabody-T,' 'Grabody-I' and 'Grabody-B' and built an innovative pipeline of multiple clinical and pre-clinical stage drug candidates. In the oncology area, we have developed Grabody-T, a modular 4-1BB engaging platform that has demonstrated superior efficacy and safety. In the neurodegenerative disorder space, we have developed Grabody-B, which is designed to maximize blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration. Grabody-B is applicable to various CNS targets across a plethora of neurological disorders, potentially providing a breakthrough to address the high unmet medical needs in neurodegeneration. For more information, please visit www.ablbio.com