Lotte Biologics Partners with Axcelead and Kanaph to Advance ADC Development

• Lotte Biologics has signed an MoU with Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners and Kanaph Therapeutics to jointly develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) toolbox platform.

• The collaboration will focus on research and development of linker and payload technologies for next-generation ADC cancer therapies.

Lotte Biologics, together with Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc. and Kanaph Therapeutics Inc., has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding to jointly build an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) toolbox platform. The initiative aims to enhance the development of next-generation ADC cancer therapies through shared expertise in payload and linker technologies.

Axcelead, a contract research organisation with roots in Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, will contribute a compound library of over 1.2 million compounds and knowledge from more than 1,000 legacy projects to generate novel payload candidates not yet used in ADCs. Kanaph Therapeutics will develop a new platform to address existing limitations in linker and payload design.

The technologies developed through this collaboration will be transferred to Lotte Biologics, which will integrate them into its ADC platform, including its proprietary SoluFlex Link system. The resulting ADC Toolbox service will allow clients to select from a range of technologies tailored to their therapeutic needs.

“This agreement marks a step forward in building a differentiated ADC platform and toolbox,” said a Lotte Biologics representative. “We will continue to strengthen our partnerships with both companies to enhance our competitiveness in the global market and deliver more innovative treatments to patients.”

Lotte Biologics plans to offer the ADC Toolbox as part of a comprehensive one-stop service that spans research, development, and GMP manufacturing for the full ADC modality process—reinforcing its presence in the CDMO and contract manufacturing space.