SOTIO, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company owned by PPF Group, has announced a license and option agreement with Synaffix B.V., a Lonza company, to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of solid tumors.
SOTIO will leverage Synaffix’s ADC technology platform to develop up to three novel ADCs targeting distinct tumor-associated antigens.
“At SOTIO, we are building a broad pipeline of next-generation ADCs to address the challenges of solid tumors – and access to Synaffix’s ADC platform technologies will ensure we remain at the leading edge of this space,” said Radek Spisek, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of SOTIO. “This collaboration combining SOTIO’s deep expertise in solid tumor drug development with Synaffix’s clinical-stage platform technology will drive important new innovations for the benefit of patients.”
The deal enables SOTIO to combine its proprietary antibodies with Synaffix’s ADC technology platform in order to deliver innovative new ADCs that can overcome the challenges of treating solid tumors. In addition to GlycoConnect™ and HydraSpace™, the deal also includes Synaffix’s potent linker-payload platform including multiple different payloads.
“Synaffix’s ADC technology perfectly complements the technologies already in SOTIO’s ADC platform, including the iADC technology licensed from NBE-Therapeutics and the ConjuALL technology licensed from LegoChem,” said Martin Steegmaier, chief scientific officer of SOTIO. “The addition of Synaffix’s capabilities will greatly expand our ability to select and tailor the most suitable ADC technology and payload for the needs of a particular target and particular solid tumor indication.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Synaffix is eligible to receive upfront and potential milestone payments worth up to $740 million, plus single-digit royalties on net sales. SOTIO will be responsible for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the ADC products, while Synaffix will closely support SOTIO’s research activities and be responsible for the manufacturing of components that are specifically related to its proprietary GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™, and linker-payload technologies.
Peter van de Sande, head of Synaffix, added: “The selection of our ADC technologies by a seasoned ADC player like SOTIO is a strong recognition of the potential of these technologies to maximize the therapeutic index of ADCs. We look forward to partnering with SOTIO, and believe that with their singular focus on cancer immunotherapies and robust clinical pipeline, this partnership can deliver innovative medicines for patients in areas of high unmet medical need.”
SOTIO is advancing a pipeline of novel ADCs tailored to address the treatment needs of specific solid tumor types. SOT102, the company’s most advanced ADC program, is a CLDN18.2-targeting ADC in Phase 1/2 development for the treatment of gastric, pancreatic and other cancers that have very few targeted treatment options available. The company is progressing dose-finding studies in the trial’s monotherapy arm, with SOT102 as a later-stage treatment, and recently announced the initiation of the trial’s combination therapy arm in first-line treatment of gastric and pancreatic cancer patients. SOTIO additionally has two other ADC programs in preclinical development.
