[JPM 2026]CDO That Predicts Biotech Trends 5-7 Years Ahead... Samsung Biologics Sets the Stage for a Significant Competitive Edge

A Future-Oriented Business That Anticipates Bio Trends
164 Cumulative CDO Contracts in Eight Years Since Launch
Over 50% of Projects Now Involve Complex Modalities Like Bispecific Antibodies and ADCs

Samsung Biologics has put its contract development (CDO) capabilities at the forefront at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, concretizing its message of "creating an overwhelming lead in the CDO field as well."

Sangmyung Lee, Executive Director in charge of CDO Development at Samsung Biologics, is explaining the current business status at the CDO Division briefing held on the 15th (local time) in San Francisco, USA. Samsung Biologics

Sangmyung Lee, Executive Director in charge of CDO Development and Head of Business Strategy at Samsung Biologics, stated at a press conference held on January 15 (local time) in San Francisco, California, "For our clients, CDO is a service where the development timeline is directly linked to survival. For Samsung Biologics, it is a business that allows us to detect products and technology trends that will be manufactured through contract manufacturing (CMO) in five to seven years, enabling us to prepare for the future." He continued, "We will establish ourselves as a full-cycle partner by completing an end-to-end platform that connects CRO (clinical research organization), CDO, and CMO into a single integrated process." The keyword for this year's CDO strategy is "technology-driven leadership." Lee identified three main pillars: securing early partnerships for "early lock-in," operating based on data ("data-driven CDO"), and responding to high-difficulty multimodality projects.

As Lee explained, in the CDO process, when a client provides genetic information for candidate substances such as antibodies, Samsung Biologics develops cell lines and manufacturing processes (cultivation and purification), and then produces and supplies materials for preclinical and clinical trials. The company also compiles a data package for Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, supporting actual clinical entry. While CMO prioritizes "on-time delivery"-delivering products on the promised date without quality issues-CDO emphasizes "development feasibility and development timeline" as core values. Especially for biotech clients who must secure funding and deliver results within a set timeframe, "how reliably the timeline can be maintained" becomes the key criterion in choosing a supplier.

Sangmyung Lee, Executive Director in charge of CDO Development at Samsung Biologics, is explaining the current business status at the CDO Division briefing held on the 15th (local time) in San Francisco, USA. Samsung Biologics

Since launching its CDO business in 2018, Samsung Biologics has signed a cumulative total of 164 contracts (including five ADC projects) over eight years and has obtained 49 IND approvals. Its portfolio extends beyond monoclonal antibodies. Lee noted, "Among the 164 cumulative projects, complex modalities such as bispecific antibodies (20%), ADCs (15%), and fusion proteins (14%) now account for more than half." He added, "Recently, the proportion of complex modality projects has been increasing even further." From a clinical approval perspective, "Although the early projects were mostly domestic, currently, about 50% of our cumulative approvals have been granted by the FDA and EMA, highlighting the global expansion of our business."

The methodology for achieving an "overwhelming lead" centers on "nine platforms" and "speed." Since launching its proprietary cell line platform "S-CHOice®" in August 2020, Samsung Biologics now possesses nine CDO technology platforms as of today. These platforms provide the necessary technological capabilities at each stage, from late discovery to IND application. The company also quantified its competitive edge in speed: for monoclonal antibodies, it has reduced the development period from cell line development to IND application from the industry standard of 11 months to nine months, and for bispecific antibodies, from 13 months to 11 months. For ADCs, by combining antibody development and conjugation, the company offers a standard development timeline of 14.5 months for drug substance (DS) production. Lee emphasized, "While there is potential to shorten the timeline further by taking on more risk and conducting simultaneous processes, our priority is to reliably provide a standard timeline."