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Korean, Swiss firms leverage oncology expertise to initiate research collaboration

25 February 2021 | News

Genome & Company and Debiopharm Join Forces To Create New Highly Specific Therapies for Cancer Patients

Photo Credit: shutterstock

Photo Credit: shutterstock

Genome & Company, a global leading immuno-oncology firm based in South Korea, and Debiopharm, a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology and infectious diseases, have announced having entered into a research collaboration for the discovery of innovative cancer therapies in the expanding antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) class.

This research collaboration has been undertaken with the goal of further exploiting this new therapeutic class, potentially offering cancer patients future treatments that efficiently target cancer cells while avoiding impact on healthy tissues.

The collaboration between the two companies is built on the rapidly expanding Genome & Company's novel target-based oncology drug pipeline and Debiopharm's proven track record in oncology. The Swiss company has developed two standards of care in colorectal cancer (oxaliplatin) and in prostate cancer (triptorelin).

Despite ongoing advances in oncology, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Standard-of-care systemic therapies, such as chemotherapy, have benefited cancer patients by killing existing malignant cells, while targeted therapies, such as ADCs, offer new ways of stopping new cancer growth by affecting the genes and proteins necessary for tumor cell survival and replication.

In order to accelerate the discovery of innovative tumor-specific treatments, both specialty companies are combining their individual expertise for the development of an optimal ADC candidate based on three important criteria: the target, the cytotoxic payload, and the linker. Specifically, Genome & Company, having generated several antibodies against novel oncology targets discovered based on its own drug development platform, GNOCLE™ and will now be armed with Debiopharm's Multilink™ technology to deliver cytotoxic payloads to tumor cells.

Multilink™ is a unique and innovative technology in that it allows the loading of multiple and different payloads on an antibody. With Debiopharm, Genome & Company will conduct follow-up discussions on the clinical development and the licensing of newly discovered ADC candidates.

"The collaboration between Genome & Company and Debiopharm is synergizing both our companies' technology assets and know-how to generate new Antibody Drug Conjugate products," said Cédric Sager, CEO of Debiopharm's development and production facility.

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