Antengene and UCB Enter Global License Agreement for ATG-201, a CD19/CD3 Bispecific T-Cell Engager for Autoimmune Diseases

• Antengene grants UCB worldwide exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize ATG-201, a CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) antibody, targeting B cell-related autoimmune diseases.
• Antengene will receive USD 80 million of upfront and near-term milestone payments, and is eligible to receive more than USD 1.1 billion in success-based development, regulatory and sales milestones, along with tiered royalties on future net sales.
• Deal underscores AnTenGager^™ platform's unique capabilities in developing next-generation novel TCEs with broad applicability. Following this collaboration, 9 disclosed products remain in the R&D pipeline under the AnTenGager^™ platform.
• Antengene to host conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. HKT (Chinese session) and 10:00 p.m. HKT (English session) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

HONG KONG and BRUSSELS, March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Antengene Corporation Limited (Antengene), a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biotech company, and UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that they have entered into an agreement that grants UCB a worldwide exclusive license to further develop, manufacture and commercialize ATG-201 and access to its associated manufacturing technology in relation to ATG-201.

T-cell engager's (TCE's) targeting B cell depletion, are a class of therapeutic agents designed to selectively target and eliminate B cells, which play a role in various diseases, including autoimmune disorders and certain haematological cancers. Specifically, ATG-201 is a CD19 targeting bispecific TCE  incorporating steric hindrance masking technology, designed to eliminate CD19-expressing B cells. This bispecific interaction with T and B cells through CD3 and CD19 has demonstrated potential in treating B cell-driven diseases by leveraging the body's own immune system for precise and potent action.

Antengene plans to submit clinical trial applications for ATG‑201 in China and Australia in the first quarter of 2026. Antengene will complete first-in-human phase 1 studies in these two jurisdictions, and thereafter transfer further ATG-201 clinical and other development to UCB.

"We are delighted to partner with UCB, combining our innovative discovery platform and clinical execution capabilities with their deep expertise and experience in immunology to accelerate ATG-201's development efficiently and on a global scale," said Dr. Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Antengene. "ATG-201, specifically designed for autoimmune diseases, incorporates bivalent CD19 binding, steric hindrance-based masking technology and proprietary CD3 sequence, a strategy designed to enable effective B cell depletion and reduce the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS). This collaboration further underscores AnTenGager^™ platform's unique capability in developing next generation novel TCEs with broad applicability in different therapeutic areas."

Antengene's AnTenGager^™ platform offers a differentiated T-cell engager approach, where binding of the TCE arm (CD3) is sterically masked in the absence of target antigen binding providing potent activity and better tolerability.

"UCB is excited to partner with Antengene on ATG-201, a novel B cell-depleting immune cell engager designed to provide a targeted, durable, and scalable treatment option for immunological diseases and a potential disruptive therapeutic modality," said Alistair Henry, Chief Scientific Officer, UCB. He added, "Access to Antengene's cutting-edge T-cell engager platform technology enhances our ambition to lead in immunology. It complements our expertise in monoclonal antibodies and novel biologics, demonstrates our inorganic innovation strategy in action, and brings transformational new capabilities that propel UCB into the advancing field of bispecific T-cell engagers."   

"AnTenGager^™ TCEs activates T cells in a disease-associated antigen (DAA)-gated manner due to the steric hindrance-based masking. This feature, together with our proprietary fast-on-fast-off CD3 binder, not only reduces the risk of CRS, but also reduced T cell exhaustion," said Dr. Bing Hou, Vice president, Head of Discovery Science and Translational Medicine. "Antengene is developing multiple first-in-class TCEs not only for autoimmune diseases, but also for the treatment of solid tumors and haematological malignancies."

In return of the license rights granted to UCB, Antengene will receive an upfront and near term milestone payment of USD 80 million (comprised of an initial upfront payment of USD 60 million and additional near-term milestone payments of USD 20 million upon satisfaction of certain conditions) and would be eligible to receive future success-based development and commercial milestone payments of over USD 1.1 billion, as well as tiered royalties on future net sales. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Antengene will host conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. HKT (Chinese session) and 10:00 p.m. HKT (English session) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Details of the conference call dial-in and the webcast link will be provided on the company website at https://www.antengene.com/investor

Forward-looking statements
Please refer https://www.antengene.com/newsinfo/442  

For more information, please contact:

Investor Contacts: 
Donald Lung
E-mail: [email protected]  

BD Contacts:
Ariel Guo
E-mail: [email protected] 

SOURCE Antengene Corporation Limited