MediLink Therapeutics and Roche Reach Exclusive Global License Agreement to Collaborate on the Development of Next-generation ADC for Cancer Treatment
January 5 , 2024
By MediLink Therapeutics, January 2, 2024
Suzhou, China, January 2, 2024 - Suzhou MediLink Therapeutics Co., Ltd. ("MediLink Therapeutics") announced today that it has reached a global cooperation and licensing agreement with Roche. The two parties will collaborate to develop a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate product candidate YL211 ("c-MET ADC") targeting mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor (c-MET) for the treatment of solid tumors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will obtain exclusive rights to the global development, manufacturing and commercialization of YL211. MediLink Therapeutics will work with the China Innovation Center of Roche (CICoR) to promote the YL211 project into phase I clinical trials, and Roche will be responsible for further development and commercialization work on a global scale. Roche will pay MediLink Therapeutics an upfront payment and near-term milestone payments of US$50 million, in addition to nearly US$1 billion in potential milestone payments for development, registration and commercialization, as well as future gradient royalties based on global annual net sales.
About YL211
YL211 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate that specifically targets mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor (c-MET). c-MET is a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family, which is closely related to tumor formation, invasive growth and metastasis, and is a key target in the treatment of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Although multiple c-MET-targeted therapies, including ADCs, have shown efficacy in patients with solid tumors, opportunities remain globally to provide patients with better treatment options to address huge unmet medical needs. YL211 is currently in the clinical application stage and adopts MediLink Therapeutics’s new generation TMALIN® ADC platform technology, coupled with highly specific c-MET antibodies. YL211 has demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in a variety of preclinical tumor models and safety evaluation experiments.
About TMALIN®
Tumor Microenvironment Activable LINker-payload (TMALIN®) new antibody-drug conjugate platform technology is a new ADC platform technology with independent intellectual property rights of MediLink Therapeutics. It can use the tumor microenvironment and lysosomes to achieve dual extracellular and intracellular cleavage mechanisms. It has high water solubility, high uniformity, high in vivo and in vitro stability, and tumor tissue enrichment properties. In multiple in vivo drug efficacy models and safety evaluation experiments, it has demonstrated a wider drug treatment window than existing ADC technology. Currently, a number of ADC products based on this platform have entered the clinical trial stage.
Suzhou, China, January 2, 2024 - Suzhou MediLink Therapeutics Co., Ltd. ("MediLink Therapeutics") announced today that it has reached a global cooperation and licensing agreement with Roche. The two parties will collaborate to develop a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate product candidate YL211 ("c-MET ADC") targeting mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor (c-MET) for the treatment of solid tumors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will obtain exclusive rights to the global development, manufacturing and commercialization of YL211. MediLink Therapeutics will work with the China Innovation Center of Roche (CICoR) to promote the YL211 project into phase I clinical trials, and Roche will be responsible for further development and commercialization work on a global scale. Roche will pay MediLink Therapeutics an upfront payment and near-term milestone payments of US$50 million, in addition to nearly US$1 billion in potential milestone payments for development, registration and commercialization, as well as future gradient royalties based on global annual net sales.
About YL211
YL211 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate that specifically targets mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor (c-MET). c-MET is a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family, which is closely related to tumor formation, invasive growth and metastasis, and is a key target in the treatment of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Although multiple c-MET-targeted therapies, including ADCs, have shown efficacy in patients with solid tumors, opportunities remain globally to provide patients with better treatment options to address huge unmet medical needs. YL211 is currently in the clinical application stage and adopts MediLink Therapeutics’s new generation TMALIN® ADC platform technology, coupled with highly specific c-MET antibodies. YL211 has demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in a variety of preclinical tumor models and safety evaluation experiments.
About TMALIN®
Tumor Microenvironment Activable LINker-payload (TMALIN®) new antibody-drug conjugate platform technology is a new ADC platform technology with independent intellectual property rights of MediLink Therapeutics. It can use the tumor microenvironment and lysosomes to achieve dual extracellular and intracellular cleavage mechanisms. It has high water solubility, high uniformity, high in vivo and in vitro stability, and tumor tissue enrichment properties. In multiple in vivo drug efficacy models and safety evaluation experiments, it has demonstrated a wider drug treatment window than existing ADC technology. Currently, a number of ADC products based on this platform have entered the clinical trial stage.