Synaffix Licenses CliCr® Chemistry from Cristal Therapeutics to Fortify Best-in-Class ADC Technology Offering

• Synaffix obtains exclusive rights to the CliCr® technology, to combine with its proprietary ADC platform technology 
• CliCr® further expands the repertoire of payloads suitable for conjugation by enhancing reactivity, stability and hydrophilicity

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Synaffix B.V. (Synaffix), a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index, today announces that it has signed a licensing agreement with Cristal Therapeutics to gain access to its CliCr® metal-free click chemistry.

Under the terms of the agreement, Synaffix will obtain exclusive rights to the CliCr® technology, to combine with its proprietary ADC platform technology. This further expands the GlycoConnect™ ADC tool kit by significantly enhancing the versatility across cytotoxic payloads and supports further expansion into antibody-based targeted gene therapy and immune cell engager applications.

Floris van Delft, Chief Scientific Officer of Synaffix, said: "We are impressed by the properties of CliCr®, which clearly demonstrate best-in-class potential as chemistry for metal-free click conjugation with azides. In that respect, CliCr® combines perfectly with our GlycoConnect™ technology for ADCs, not only by allowing highly rapid conjugation with minimal linker-drug excess and thus lowering COGs, but also by further expanding the repertoire of payloads suitable for conjugation. This deal comes at an exciting time, as we have recently seen the Noble Prize of Chemistry, awarded for 'the development of click chemistry', enabling companies like Synaffix to develop best-in-class drug candidates for oncology and other indications."

Cristianne Rijcken, Chief Scientific Officer of Cristal Therapeutics stated: "We are emboldened by this license agreement with Synaffix, a leading provider of ADC technology, as it underscores the potential of our unique CliCr® technology. This also represents an important milestone in the execution of our strategy to commercialize CliCr® in different fields of therapeutic bioconjugates."

Notes to Editors

About Synaffix B.V.

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 2035. The business model of Synaffix is target-specific technology out-licensing, as exemplified through its existing deals with ADC Therapeutics, Mersana Therapeutics, Shanghai Miracogen, Innovent Biologics, ProfoundBio, Kyowa Kirin, Genmab, Macrogenics and Emergence Therapeutics.

Synaffix is backed by a top tier, life science-focused investor syndicate that includes Aravis, BioGeneration Ventures, BOM Capital and M Ventures. 

For more information, please visit www.synaffix.com.

About Cristal Therapeutics

Cristal Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that focuses on CliCr®,its unique and proprietary click chemistry. The company strategy is to identify partners that will license this technology in specific fields, including therapeutic areas to develop potential best-in-class bioconjugate drug-candidates.

For more information, please visit www.cristaltherapeutics.com

About The Synaffix ADC Platform Technology

Synaffix' proprietary ADC technology platform consists of GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and toxSYN™ technologies.  Both GlycoConnect™ and HydraSpace™ are clinical-stage technologies that enable best-in-class ADCs with significantly enhanced efficacy and tolerability. 

GlycoConnect™ is a conjugation technology that exploits the native antibody glycan for site-specific and stable payload attachment and is tunable to DAR1, DAR2 or DAR4 formats. HydraSpace™ is a 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, including SYNtecan E™ and SYNeamicin G™, among other linker-payloads.

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 CliCr® Chemistry

CliCr®, a platform based on the 7-membered TMTHSI molecule, is a powerful copper-free click chemistry reagent that meets all demands of the life science industry in terms of reactivity, hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. The versatility of the platform has been illustrated by fast and efficient bioconjugation of CliCr® derivatized with small molecules including fluorescent dyes, peptides, nucleotides and nanoparticles. Accordingly, CliCr® is a broadly applicable technology for various applications within life science products, being therapeutic or diagnostic.

https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SC03477K