Chong Kun Dang Pharm Licenses Synaffix ADC Technology, Adds Novel ADC Candidate to Oncology Pipeline

• Synaffix to provide access to proprietary Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) technologies
• Single-target license with upfront and milestone payments plus royalties
• First Synaffix partnership announced with a Korean company

AMSTERDAM, Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synaffix B.V., a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index, and Chong Kun Dang Pharm (CKD), a global pharmaceutical company based in South Korea, today announce that they have entered a licensing agreement.

The agreement provides CKD a license for global, target-specific rights to Synaffix's proprietary ADC technology, adding a new ADC drug candidate to CKD's pipeline. CKD will have access to Synaffix's ADC technologies, comprising GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and an undisclosed linker-payload from the toxSYN™ platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Synaffix has received an upfront payment and is eligible to receive further milestone payments plus royalties on commercial sales. CKD will be responsible for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the ADCs. Synaffix will be responsible for the manufacturing of components that are specifically related to its proprietary technologies.

Peter van de Sande, Chief Executive Officer of Synaffix, said: "Scientific rigor and a growing body of promising underlying data have led us to this exciting moment where we can bring a new ADC into the development pipeline of CKD Pharm.  We value the strong experience of the CKD team within the oncology space and look forward to building on this further as we continue our close and long-standing collaboration aimed at bringing this promising new drug candidate to patients in need."

Young-Joo, Kim, Chief Executive Officer of CKD Pharm said: "By combining our existing oncology expertise and related technologies with the ADC platform of Synaffix, we have been able to efficiently establish a novel ADC candidate for CKD's pipeline. CKD's work is deeply rooted in oncology, and we are committed to improving the quality of life for patients by developing highly targeted novel drugs for the treatment of cancer."

RM Global Partners LLC and DLA Piper LLP (US) acted as CKD's advisors for this transaction.

About Synaffix B.V.

Synaffix B.V. is a biotechnology company that enables ADC product candidates using its clinical-stage, site-specific ADC technology platform based on GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and toxSYN™, that together enable any company with an antibody to develop proprietary best-in-class ADC products under a single license from Synaffix.

The Synaffix platform enables a rapid timeline to clinic due to the established supply chain of technology components. Granted patents covering Synaffix' technology provide end-to-end protection of the manufacturing technology as well as the resulting products through at least 2035. The business model of Synaffix is target-specific technology out-licensing, as exemplified through its existing deals with ADC Therapeutics, Mersana Therapeutics, Shanghai Miracogen, Innovent Biologics, ProfoundBio, Kyowa Kirin, Genmab, Macrogenics and Emergence Therapeutics.

Synaffix is backed by a top tier, life science-focused investor syndicate that includes Aravis, BioGeneration Ventures, BOM Capital and M Ventures. 

For more information, please visit the website at www.synaffix.com.

About CKD Pharm

Chong Kun Dang (CKD) Pharmaceutical Corp. is a South Korea-based, fully integrated pharmaceutical company established in 1941. As one of the leading pharmaceutical companies listed on the Korean Stock Exchange (KOSPI), CKD has the capacity to research and develop pharmaceutical products in broad areas: New Chemical Entity (NCE) and Biologics with a focus on oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic, immune diseases.

CKD's R&D Investment and efforts are accelerating the development of new drugs, and these efforts are expanding the pipeline for the focused disease areas. Currently, bispecific antibody for NSCLC treatment, small molecules for CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth) and dyslipidemia treatment, etc. are under clinical development.

For more information, please visit the website at

www.ckdpharm.com/en/home.

About The Synaffix ADC Platform Technology

Synaffix' proprietary ADC technology platform consists of GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™ and toxSYN™ technologies.  These technologies are aimed at enabling best-in-class ADCs from any antibody, with significantly enhanced efficacy and tolerability. 

GlycoConnect™ is a clinical-stage conjugation technology that exploits the native antibody glycan for site-specific and stable payload attachment and is tunable to DAR1, DAR2 or DAR4 formats. HydraSpace™ is a clinical-stage compact and highly polar spacer technology that is designed to further enhance therapeutic index, particularly with hydrophobic payloads. toxSYN™ is a linker-payload platform that spans key, validated MOAs for ADC product development, including SYNtecan E™ and SYNeamicin G™, among other linker-payloads.

The combination of these three technologies provides developers with a "one stop" and easy-to-use ADC technology platform, allowing any antibody developer to develop its own proprietary ADC and any ADC developer to expand its pipeline further and increase its competitive position.

SOURCE Synaffix