Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. has announced acceptance of IND applications by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for three differentiated candidates for the treatment of solid tumors.

Over the course of the year, and continuing into the latest scientific meetings, an extraordinary breadth of new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) designs was reported, with innovations spanning targets, linkers, payloads, conjugation chemistries and overall architectures. Once defined by a simple “one target, one payload” model, the field is lately expanding into a more versatile and diverse therapeutic space.

Simcere Zaiming Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has obtained clinical trial approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for SIM-0610 to be studied in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

Ipsen SA has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Simcere Zaiming Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for global rights outside of Greater China for SIM-0613, an LRRC15-targeting antibody-drug conjugate developed by Simcere Zaiming for solid tumors. The program is expected to enter phase I development in the second half of next year.

Disco Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced the final close of its seed round at €36 million (US$42 million), as it shapes up novel targets it has discovered with its surfaceome platform technology for formal preclinical development.