HONG KONG – Y-biologics Inc., a South Korean biopharmaceutical firm, and U.S.-based biotechnology venture Genosco Inc. have recently signed a contract for cancer drugs research and development focused on testing the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and small-molecule cancer drugs.

While immune checkpoint inhibitors have proved effective, with fewer side effects and less toxicity than earlier treatments directly attacking cancer cells, they’re also plagued by a limited response rate in patients. Clinical tests have shown that combinatorial immunotherapy approaches improve response rate and outcomes compared with monotherapy, so the two firms are pooling their resources to evaluate combo approaches.

“Y-biologics will research immune checkpoint inhibitors, while Genosco will focus on small-molecule cancer treatment,” Wooshik Kim, senior manager of business development team at Y-biologics, told BioWorld. “We’re going to specify the roles of both companies when we decide the candidates for combination, then conduct preclinical and phase I clinical trials together.”

Founded in 2007, Y-biologics has developed its own technologies such as the bispecific antibody platform ALiCE (Antibody Like Cell Engager). Designed to overcome the toxicity and immunogenicity limitations of previous bispecific technologies, ALiCE preserves the F(ab’)2 structure of the parental antibody to maintain high binding affinity to the cancer antigen, and it substitutes the Fc region with a monovalent Fv to induce immune response.

In addition, the company has five main pipelines of oncology and immuno-oncology treatments, along with 11 bispecific antibodies and eight antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. Five of them are at the preclinical stage.

“In our antibody library, we have a diversity of 100 billion. Also, we’re the only biopharmaceutical company in Korea that develops PD-1 inhibitors. By the end of this year, we are going to start a phase I trial,” said Kim.

Boston-based Genosco is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing small-molecule drugs. The firm has used a highly targeted approach with expertise in selective kinase inhibitors and found several master scaffolds selectively inhibiting protein kinases. Kinases are enzymes that transfer phosphate groups to proteins and also are key players in virtually all signal pathways.

Genosco partnered in 2015 with Korean company Yuhan Corp. Co. Ltd. for development and commercialization of lazertinib, a clinical-stage candidate for the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The company’s total of seven pipeline programs, including SKI-O-703, a selective SYK inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, in a phase II trial.

According to the company, its second-generation SYK inhibitor to treat peripheral T-cell lymphoma caused by ITK-SYK, Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor-insensitive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma will be a desirable asset for immuno-oncology and is in late lead optimization stage.

Daejeon support

The first meetings and agreement between Y-biologics and Genosco were supported by the government of Daejeon, South Korea. The city is a science and technology hub supporting biotech firms to grow and collaborate with global corporations.

In April, the city government and staff from three Daejeon biotech firms visited Boston in order to benchmark the ecosystem of the biotech industry. The city especially follows the model of Lab Central Inc. in Boston, a nonprofit organization that built a shared laboratory facility and office space for about 60 Boston emerging biotech companies.

Daejeon’s Bio Healthcare Association is a private organization of about 80 biotechnology companies and hospitals. The city tries to support the group by building a network between the members and foreign biotech firms through exhibitions and joint seminars.

Starting next year, the government each year will select about 20 experts from Daejeon biotech firms and support their collaboration with the firms in Boston.

“We’re going to set up a platform to support biotech R&D of the city, investing KRW63 billion (US$52.9 million) by the year 2024. Besides, we plan to build a genetic research center with KRW140 billion and the budget is going to be reviewed by the Korean government,” a Daejeon city spokesman told BioWorld.