Debiopharm and Ubix Therapeutics Launch Research to Develop a New Anti-Cancer Modality - Antibody Degraducer® Conjugates

LAUSANNE, Switzerland and SEOUL, South Korea, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Debiopharm (www.debiopharm.com), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company and Ubix Therapeutics (en.ubixtrx.com), a South Korea-based biotech company today announced their co-research agreement combining two novel proprietary technologies to specifically target cancer cells. The two companies are aiming to develop a new drug modality known as Antibody Degraducer^® Conjugates (ADeC), by combining one of Ubix's Degraducer^® molecule, with Debiopharm's antibody drug conjugate linker Multilink™. Degraducer^® linked to therapeutic antibodies via Multilink^™ will improve drug targeting and could have a synergistic effect on tumor cells, thereby resulting in improved efficacy and safety of cancer therapies.

Cancer treatment has been revolutionized by antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) as they've offered patients therapy that targets mainly cancer cells while avoiding the systemic release of cancer-killing toxic payloads, like systemic chemotherapy, throughout the body. Linkers play a critical role in the function of ADCs as they help to attach the cytotoxic payload to the antibody, stabilize the molecule during circulation, and release the toxic payload specifically into the target tissue¹. Multilink™ is a new cleavable linker platform that allows the loading of multiple drug payloads on an antibody. Degraducer® is a powerful, bifunctional, inhibitor technology that enables selective protein degradation and prolonged therapeutic effects. Combining these advanced biotechnology solutions offers the unique opportunity to produce new types of antibody conjugates with dual molecular targeting. These antibody Degraducer^® conjugates could extend the range of therapeutic antibody conjugates available for the treatment of various cancers.

"We hope this plan to achieve a pre-clinical, proof-of-concept for antibody Degraducer^®  conjugates will boost the efficacy, precision and safety of antibody-based therapies and lead to clinically meaningful solutions while providing improved life quality for cancer patients," expressed Cedric Sager, CEO of Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing, "We are thrilled to collaborate with Ubix Therapeutics to understand more about the potential synergies of combining their Degraducer^® technology with our Multilink™ platform."

"We're excited to explore Antibody Degraducer Conjugates (ADeC) with Debiopharm. In particular, we're pleased to take the opportunity to combine our Degraducer® technology, having superior efficacy and high selectivity, with Debiopharm's Multilink™ technology, having lots of advantages especially excellent potency through multiple loading capability. We believe that this collaboration will open up new opportunities to develop advanced cancer therapy." said BK Seo, CEO of Ubix Therapeutics.

About Multilink™
Multilink™ is a new cleavable linker platform suited for multidrug attachment and compatible with any conjugation technology to produce ADCs with high DAR (drug-to-antibody ratio), allowing the loading of multiple payloads on an antibody for an enhanced therapeutic effect. This highly effective and well-tolerated linker platform is available for use of other specialty biotech or pharmaceutical companies to generate a proprietary, clinical-stage ADCs.  

About Degraducer®
Degraducer^® is a technology that utilizes the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), an intracellular degradation system. Degraducer® is a powerful inhibitor technology that enables target protein degradation and consequent therapeutic effects by placing a disease-related target protein nearby E3 ligase, which can then initiate the protein degradation system.

Debiopharm's commitment to patients
Debiopharm develops & manufactures innovative therapies and drug delivery technologies that target high unmet medical needs in oncology and infectious diseases. Bridging the gap between disruptive discovery products and real-world patient reach, we identify high-potential compounds and technologies for in-licensing, clinically demonstrate their safety and efficacy and then select large pharmaceutical commercialization partners to maximize patient access globally.
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1. Zheng Su, et al. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 2021, ISSN 2211-3835,(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2021.03.042.)

SOURCE Debiopharm International

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