Alentis Therapeutics and PinotBio announced they have entered into a research collaboration and licensing agreement to discover and develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to expand the potential of claudin-1 as a therapeutic target in oncology.

Claudin-1 is overexpressed in more than ten different tumor types, representing a significant opportunity for targeted cancer therapies. Alentis is the leader in developing claudin-1 targeted therapies, with two first-in-class ADC candidates in the clinic, while PinotBio has established itself as a leader in ADC innovation through its PINOT-ADC® platform offering a toolbox of novel linkers and payloads. The collaboration aims to combine PinotBio’s technologies with Alentis’ antibody portfolio to develop the next generation of claudin-1 targeting ADCs, tailored to overcome resistance mechanisms and address unmet needs across a wide variety of cancers.

Under the agreement, Alentis will have an exclusive option to in-license novel linkers and/or payloads from PinotBio for use in its development candidates. The agreement includes an upfront payment to PinotBio plus development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as royalties on net sales for each ADC candidate that Alentis elects to develop.

“Claudin-1 continues to gain recognition as a highly promising target and, together with our partner PinotBio, we aim to further expand its therapeutic potential and maximize patient benefit across a range of high-unmet need cancers,” said Dr. Mark Pruzanski, Chief Executive Officer of Alentis Therapeutics. “This expanded relationship builds on our successful research collaboration, during which we explored dozens of ADC constructs and saw firsthand the strength of PinotBio’s science and execution.”

“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Alentis, as this agreement represents an important milestone for PinotBio and further validates the strength of our PINOT-ADC® platform,” said Dr. Doo Young Jung, Chief Executive Officer of PinotBio. “Our platform provides the flexibility to pair novel linkers and payloads to create ADCs with enhanced efficacy and specificity, while addressing limitations associated with first-generation ADC approaches, including poor responses, treatment resistance, and toxicities.”