Ablaze Pharmaceuticals, a biotech startup that is focused on developing Targeted Radiotherapy (TRT) to benefit cancer patients in China, has announced the development plans of a first-in-class novel peptide drug candidate against GPC3.

The proprietary GPC3 targeting peptide is being licensed from US-based RayzeBio pursuant to an existing license agreement. Upon in-license of product candidates by Ablaze from RayzeBio, Ablaze will be responsible for clinical development and commercialisation of the product in the Greater Chinaregion.

The strategic collaboration between Ablaze and RayzeBio leverages RayzeBio's strength in TRT discovery and Ablaze's expertise in therapeutic product clinical development and radiopharmaceutical infrastructure in China.

The GPC3 drug candidate has demonstrated potent and selective GPC3 binding, rapid cellular internalisation, and sustained tumor specific uptake and anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical models.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer, accounting for up to 85% of the cases and represents a significant unmet medical need as current treatment options have limited efficacy with a narrow therapeutic index. Around half of new cases and deaths globally were estimated to occur in China, accounting for more than 410,000 new cases and 390,000 death cases in 2020.