HanchorBio Inc., a Taiwan-based biotechnology startup developing innovative immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases, has announced the signing of a major out-licensing agreement with Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc.
The deal grants Henlius exclusive development and commercialisation rights to HCB101 across Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau), key Southeast Asian countries, as well as all countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Under the terms of the agreement, HanchorBio will receive an upfront payment of $10 million, with additional payments tied to development and regulatory milestones of up to $192 million. Henlius will also pay tiered royalties and assume full responsibility for development, manufacturing, and commercialization in the licensed territories. HanchorBio retains all rights outside the licensed regions.
HCB101 is a novel engineered SIRPα-IgG4 Fc fusion protein developed using HanchorBio's proprietary Fc-Based Designer Biologics (FBDB™) platform. It is designed to selectively block the CD47 "don't eat me" signal and activate macrophage-mediated anti-tumor immunity. Compared to earlier CD47-targeted agents, HCB101 reduces hematologic toxicity while maintaining strong efficacy, as demonstrated in over 80 CDX and PDX tumor models, and exhibits durable pharmacokinetics.
Following regulatory clearance from the US FDA, Mainland China's NMPA, and Taiwan's TFDA, HCB101 has advanced into multi-regional Phase 2 trials in patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including head and neck, gastric, colorectal, and breast cancers.
