Samsung Biologics has announced the extension of its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) services partnership with South Korea-based LigaChem Biosciences.
The global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) will support LigaChem Biosciences’ ADC programmes at its new facility.
Both companies have been collaborating on ADC treatments for solid tumours.
Their partnership was initially announced in February last year, when Samsung Biologics and LigaChem Biosciences agreed to ADC development and manufacturing.
LigaChem Biosciences is a biotechnology firm specialising in ADC candidate research and development.
The company is advancing a sustainable pipeline in therapeutic areas within antibiotics, anti-fibrotics, oncology, and ADC platform technology.
LigaChem Biosciences plans to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2025, supported by promising non-clinical data.
LigaChem Biosciences president and CEO Yong-Zu Kim said: “This collaboration with Samsung Biologics will be an important step toward strengthening the supply chain of high-quality ADC drugs and enhancing the competitiveness of both companies in the global ADC market.
“By leveraging Samsung Biologics’ extensive experience as a CDMO, we will accelerate the development of our pipeline and quickly provide innovative ADC treatments to patients.”
Samsung Biologics’ ADC facility features a segregated suite with a 500l reactor, supporting ADC therapy development and manufacturing.
Leveraging expertise in large-scale antibody production and process engineering, the facility offers services ranging from late discovery to development and conjugation.
The CDMO also invests in ADC linker technologies and protein engineering through the Samsung Life Science Fund.
Samsung Biologics CEO and president John Rim said: “The latest collaboration will further strengthen Samsung Biologics’ capabilities across all stages of ADC development and manufacturing as part of our commitment to deliver safe and high-quality therapeutics to patients.
“We look forward to supporting our clients’ innovative ADC pipelines, ensuring the highest quality and timelines are met.”
In October last year, the CDMO bagged a contract manufacturing deal worth $1.24bn with an undisclosed Asian pharmaceutical firm.
