'Dong-A ST Secures ADC Platform with Aptis Acquisition'

Dong-A ST (Dong-A ST) is entering the development of innovative new drugs using the recently emerging 'antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)' platform through the acquisition of AbTis.

Dong-A ST Headquarters Exterior
Photo by Dong-A ST

On the 20th, Dong-A ST announced that it had acquired AbTis, a domestic ADC developer, and will incorporate it as a subsidiary by the end of this month. Through this acquisition, Dong-A ST secured new growth engines by obtaining AbTis's management rights, the third-generation ADC linker platform technology 'AbClick,' and its pipeline, which is a new modality (therapeutic approach).

AbTis is an ADC-specialized biotech company founded in 2016 by Professor Jeon Sangjeon of Sungkyunkwan University College of Pharmacy. Having completed investment rounds up to Series B, AbTis developed the AbClick technology, which enables site-selective drug conjugation without antibody modification, and last year signed an ADC technology agreement with Lonza, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).

AbTis holds patents for the AbClick Pro and Standard platforms, which allow modulation of ADC in vivo half-life to be either longer or shorter. Currently, AbTis is developing 'AT-211,' an AbClick-based ADC candidate targeting Claudin 18.2 for gastric and pancreatic cancers, with plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase 1 clinical trials by next year.

Going forward, Dong-A ST plans to develop the ADC oncology pipeline held by AbTis and utilize the core technology to secure new pipelines and expand platforms such as antibody-radioisotope conjugates (ARC), antibody-PROTAC conjugates (APC), and immune-stimulating antibody conjugates (ISAC). In particular, Dong-A ST will focus on creating synergy within the group, including ST Pharm and STGen Bio, and in the mid to long term, aims to establish its own unique ADC platform technology and expand into the ADC CDMO business.

Jae-Hong Park, Head of R&D at Dong-A ST, stated, “Competition among global pharmaceutical companies to develop and secure ADC technology, which will change the paradigm of cancer treatment, is accelerating. Dong-A ST acquired AbTis to preempt the market and secure competitiveness. We will do our best to provide optimal treatment options to patients while advancing as a global pharmaceutical company through innovative new drug development.”