Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) and Myricx Bio have signed an antibody evaluation, option and licence agreement for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Myricx will provide its linker and payload and Biocytogen will conjugate them with its RenMice-derived fully human antibodies to create ADCs.

Biocytogen will conduct feasibility testing for these ADCs as part of its CRO [contract research organisation] services. If the option is exercised, Myricx will become responsible for advancing their development and commercialisation.

Biocytogen will be eligible to receive an upfront payment and may also be entitled to milestone payments related to ongoing development and commercialisation, in addition to single-digit royalties based on net sales.

The company’s antibodies have undergone screening for specificity, cross-species reactivity, high affinity, developability and internalisation activity specifically for ADC applications.

NMT is an enzyme that attaches a specific lipid modification to proteins which are crucial for the survival of cancer cells.

Myricx is creating a series of ADCs to tackle significant unmet requirements in cancer treatment.

These ADCs are built upon Myricx's NMT inhibitor payload chemistry platform, demonstrating preclinical efficacy and safety across solid tumour-related antigens and types of cancer cells.

Biocytogen president and CEO Dr Yuelei Shen stated: “Myricx is a leading expert in NMTi payloads and we believe that the combination of both companies’ strengths will result in ADC drugs with first-in-class and best-in-class potential.”