Synaffix, a company of Swiss drugmaker Lonza, has entered into a licensing agreement with South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Qurient to develop a dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).
Synaffix will combine its exatecan-based technology with Qurient's cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor to address unmet medical needs in solid tumour treatments.
Qurient obtains access to Synaffix’s ADC technology, which includes GlycoConnect antibody conjugation, HydraSpace polar spacer and exatecan-based linker-payload technologies.
Lonza will oversee the manufacturing of Synaffix technology components.
Qurient will handle the research, development and commercialisation of the ADC, as well as the production of its CDK7 inhibitor.
Dual-payload ADCs aim to deliver two cytotoxic agents with distinct mechanisms to target cancer cells, potentially improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing resistance to treatments.
This approach could expand the range of effective therapies while minimising toxicity to healthy tissues, particularly in refractory cancer cases.
Synaffix head Peter van de Sande stated: “This licensing collaboration with Qurient signifies the versatility of our industry-leading ADC platform technology.
“Enabling the development of a dual-payload ADC built with Synaffix technology reflects our drive to continue pioneering innovation in the field.”
Synaffix provides a clinical-stage, site-specific ADC technology platform designed to facilitate the development of ADC products under a single license.
The platform, supported by granted patents, aims to expedite the timeline to clinical trials through an established supply chain.
Qurient CEO Kiyean Nam stated: “Dual-payload ADCs represent the next frontier in targeted antibody therapeutics, and we look forward to advancing this novel combination of our CDK7 inhibitor and Synaffix's SYNtecan linker-payload.
“The combination of our proprietary technology with Synaffix's industry-leading platform has the potential to be applicable to a wider range of targets and antibodies, and we look forward to exploring those possibilities in the future.”
In 2025, Synaffix secured licensing agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to advance ADC programmes.
