ADC Therapeutics, an oncology drug discovery and development company that specializes in antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), and Adagene Inc., an antibody engineering and discovery company, have entered into a discovery collaboration and license agreement. ADC Therapeutics will use Adagene’s SAFEbody technology to generate a masked antibody that will be combined with ADC Therapeutics’ pyrrolobenzodiazepine  (PBD) cytotoxic payload technology for the development of a novel ADC against a solid tumor target.

Adagene has developed the SAFEbody technology to produce masked antibodies that are activated to bind to an antigen in the tumor microenvironment by factors present in tumor tissues but not in healthy tissues. This enables enhanced specificity for targeting of an ADC and minimizes off-target toxicity on healthy cells, potentially enhancing the therapeutic index of the ADC.

ADC Therapeutics has entered into the agreement with Adagene for one exclusive target, with the option to leverage SAFEbody technology for one additional exclusive target. Both potential programs will focus on targets in which healthy tissue expression does not permit development of ADCs incorporating traditional antibodies.

Adagene will receive research funding for the discovery phase, and an upfront payment, development and commercial milestone payments, and royalties on sales. ADC Therapeutics has granted Adagene certain commercial rights for Greater China.  

“We are very pleased to partner our SAFEbody technology with ADC Therapeutics,” said Peter Luo, chief executive officer and co-founder of Adagene. “Adagene’s innovative protein engineering ability enables us to tailor-make products to limit their on-target off-tumor toxicity. Together with ADC Therapeutics’ experience in developing ADCs with highly potent PBD payloads, we have the potential to unlock new treatment options for patients with unmet medical needs.” 

“We’re excited to collaborate with Adagene to work toward the next generation of masked ADCs,” said Chris Martin, chief executive officer at ADC Therapeutics. “As we continue evaluating our potent ADCs in ongoing clinical trials, we look forward to exploring how Adagene’s SAFEbody technology incorporated in our ADCs may enable us to further improve anti-tumor activity while minimizing side effects.”