Partnership focused on Alternative Therapies for Solid Tumours

Following an extension of its partnership agreement with PinotBio (Gyeonggi-do, Korea), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company, Aptamer Group has announced the development of new drug conjugates for use as precision chemotherapeutics.

The partnership, first initiated in June 2021 targeting haematological cancers, has demonstrated the viability of combining Optimer binders with the Korean company’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform for targeted drug delivery. They are now jointly developing novel format ADC alternatives to four specified non-blood-based cancer biomarkers: Nectin-4, Tissue Factor, CEACAM5 and CD73, which offer the potential to produce therapeutics with a smaller size for increased penetration of solid tumours.

Both parties will jointly own the developed assets, with each party retaining ownership over the conjugate's individual components. If successful these therapeutic modalities will open opportunities for downstream value creation in the form of licensing fees, milestones, and or royalties.

Dr Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group, commented: “The data from the first phase of this work, combining our Optimer technology with PinotBio’s linker and chemotherapeutic payloads, were very promising and demonstrated the power of Optimer binders to develop effective enabling technologies resulting in drug-conjugate development targeting different disease states. As a result, we are very excited to be able to extend this collaboration with PinotBio to develop Optimer-drug conjugates as novel cancer treatments. We are encouraged by the potential of these novel format drugs to make a difference and improve the quality of cancer patient lives through reduced side effects, and we look forward to providing updates in due course.”

Dr Dooyoung Jung, Chief Executive Officer of PinotBio, commented: "The development of Optimer-drug conjugates, as next-generation ADCs, in collaboration with Aptamer Group highlights the compatibility of PINOT-ADCTM with antibodies, as well as advanced technologies such as Optimers. The tailored targeting methods of Optimer for drug delivery combined with PINOT-ADC holds promise for smaller, improved drug delivery with a greater therapeutic index that will improve treatment for cancer patients globally.”

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