LegoChem and Iksuda expand license agreement for development of antibody-drug conjugates

Iksuda Therapeutics, the developer of a new generation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with raised therapeutic index, has announced that it has expanded its research collaboration and License Agreement with LegoChem Biosciences, Inc. (“LCB”) to explore additional ADC programs which leverage LCB’s proprietary ADC platform technology.

In April 2020, Iksuda licensed global development and commercialization rights for three ADC programs using LCB's ADC linker/toxin platform. Under this expanded Agreement, Iksuda has now been granted rights for three additional targets, bringing the total number of potential ADC programs using LCB’s ADC platform technologies to six. Iksuda also gains access to LCB’s innovative and recently discovered novel DNA-modifying payload, supplementing LCB’s proprietary tumor-activated DNA toxins which were included in last year’s License Agreement.

Dr. Dave Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Iksuda Therapeutics, said: “During a successful partnership since signing the multi-target License Agreement last year, Iksuda has nominated two ADC candidates which leverage the differentiated advantages of LCBs prodrug payload technology, with preclinical development underway. We are excited to expand our research into next-generation best-in-class ADCs through this wider arrangement with LCB which includes a new payload. We anticipate the discovery of additional candidates for Iksuda’s growing ADC pipeline as a result of this agreement.”

Dr. Yong-Zu Kim, CEO and President of LCB, commented: “We have built a strong partnership with Iksuda through the multi-target ADC platform license and LCB73 (CD19 ADC) product license agreements, completed last April and May respectively. Our partnership has validated the superiority of LCB’s ADC platform technology and the competitive potential of IKS03 (formerly known as LCB73) as an innovative ADC drug. This validation has led to the execution of this expanded license agreement. We will continue to cooperate closely with Iksuda to accelerate the advancement of all LCB-related ADC candidates into the clinic.”

Iksuda recently announced that it has completed a $47 million financing round, co-led by Celltrion, Mirae Asset Capital and its subsidiaries, and Premier Partners to support the advancement of its lead ADC assets, including IKS03, and the expansion of its payload platform technologies. This expanded agreement with LCB enables research and development of a new class of payload, adding to Iksuda’s proprietary Protein Alkylating (ProAlk) tumor-activated payload platform, licensed from Göttingen University.

Iksuda’s ADC programs target tumors that currently have limited treatment options and high relapse rates. The Company’s drug development pipeline is centered on the improved safety and efficacy conferred by tumor-activated, prodrug payloads in combination with stable conjugation technologies, including its proprietary novel PermaLink^® platform.

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