MaxiVax (Shanghai) Biotech Co., Ltd. (688062.SH), Insilico Medicine (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Haoyuan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (688131.SH) officially announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement today. Guided by the cooperation concept of "complementary advantages, resource sharing, collaborative innovation, and mutual benefit", the three parties will join forces to build a novel ADC (Antibody-Drug Conjugate) compound library covering hundreds of targets, screen and advance next-generation ADC candidate molecules, and accelerate the industrialization of innovative ADC drugs.
This cooperation brings together the core forces in the ADC drug development industry chain, forming a complete innovation system from target discovery to clinical development. As an innovative biopharmaceutical company with a full-industry-chain layout, MaxiVax Biotech boasts a world-leading ADC drug development platform that has undergone clinical validation, along with strong R&D capabilities and commercial potential. In this strategic cooperation, MaxiVax Biotech will open up hundreds of monoclonal and multi-specific antibody combinations targeting different targets, as well as its independently developed ADC technology platform, covering multiple disease areas such as oncology and autoimmune diseases, providing industry-leading technical platform support for the cooperation.
As a global leader in AI-driven drug discovery, Insilico Medicine will leverage its Pharma.AI platform to design innovative payload-linkers with novel structures and high selectivity, based on the analysis of disease mechanisms, target characteristics, and toxicological structures. This platform has been fully validated in the development of the world’s first AI-designed drug, demonstrating the significant advantages of AI technology in drug R&D.
As a leading enterprise in small-molecule drug R&D services, Haoyuan Pharmaceutical will provide a rich library of molecular building blocks and tool compounds, offering strong technical support for the synthesis of ADC linker-payloads. It will achieve full-process collaboration and services with the other two partners, spanning from screening to clinical development.
The conclusion of this three-party strategic cooperation marks an innovative breakthrough in China’s biopharmaceutical industry in the field of ADC drugs. By deeply integrating AI technology with traditional drug R&D, the cooperation creates a new model for ADC drug development. It enables the prediction of drug developability and safety at the molecular design stage, drastically shortening the molecular optimization process that traditionally takes years and significantly improving R&D efficiency. The three-party cooperation realizes full-industry-chain collaboration from AI design, antibody development, payload-linker chemical synthesis to clinical development, constructing a complete value chain closed-loop for ADC drug development. This collaborative model will maximize the advantages of each party, promote the innovation and development of ADCs efficiently and with high quality, and provide more treatment options for patients worldwide.
Dr. Liu Datao, Chairman and CEO of MaxiVax Biotech, stated: "This cooperation demonstrates MaxiVax Biotech’s innovation strategy and layout in the ADC drug field. Over the years, MaxiVax has accumulated rich resources in antibody drug development. By joining forces with Insilico Medicine, a leader in AI technology, and Haoyuan Pharmaceutical, a powerhouse in chemical synthesis, we will be able to better leverage our respective strengths and accelerate the development of innovative ADC drugs. Our goal is to build a novel payload compound library covering a wide range of targets, accelerate the R&D of ADC innovative drugs with excellent clinical efficacy, and provide more and better treatment options for cancer patients around the world."
Dr. Ren Feng, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, said: "Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), known as 'magic bullets', have shown great potential in oncology treatment due to their unique mechanism and high targeting ability. They are also one of the important novel therapy areas that Insilico Medicine has long focused on and invested heavily in. Through this three-party cooperation with MaxiVax Biotech and Haoyuan Pharmaceutical, we have pioneered the ABC (AI + BioTech/BioPharma + CRO/CDMO) new model for ADC R&D, which realizes in-depth full-link collaboration of AI empowerment, Biotech/BioPharma drive, and CRO/CDMO implementation. We believe that through this innovative model, we are expected to continuously accelerate the R&D process of ADC drugs and promote safer and more effective treatment options to benefit patients worldwide as soon as possible."
Dr. Zheng Baofu, CEO of Haoyuan Pharmaceutical, commented: "This strategic cooperation is an innovative initiative in the field of ADC drug R&D. With its profound accumulation in the ADC payload-linker field, Haoyuan Pharmaceutical, together with MaxiVax Biotech’s outstanding antibody technology platform and Insilico Medicine’s cutting-edge AI drug discovery capabilities, will jointly accelerate the development of innovative ADC drugs. We are committed to optimizing the screening and development process of candidate molecules through efficient resource integration and technological innovation, and providing faster and more precise treatment solutions for patients worldwide. This cooperation not only demonstrates Haoyuan Pharmaceutical’s concept of openness and win-win cooperation but also highlights our determination to promote industry progress. In the future, we will continue to explore cutting-edge technologies with our partners, deepen industrial collaboration, and contribute more value to the development of global innovative drugs."
(Reprinted from https://news.eccn.com/）