Mabwell Biopharma Bolsters ADC Pipeline with Strategic AI Collaborations Ahead of Hong Kong IPO

Today, Mabwell announced a strategic partnership with DP Technology. Both parties will fully leverage their respective strengths in biopharmaceutical R&D and artificial intelligence (AI) large model fields to jointly build a large model platform for biopharmaceutical R&D.

Not long ago, Mabwell announced a strategic cooperation with Insilico Medicine. Based on their respective technical advantages in ADC research and development and artificial intelligence (AI), the collaboration aims to empower ADC innovative drug research and development with AI.

ADC Harvest is Coming Soon

Mabwell was founded in 2017, with significant advantages in ADC technology platform construction and single/dual antibody molecule discovery, and has established a complete industrial chain for ADC drug development and production. Its self-developed IDDC™ platform and Mtoxin™ toxin technology have been validated across multiple projects.

Currently, there are 16 varieties at different stages, including 12 innovative varieties and 4 biosimilars. In the R&D pipeline, ADC therapy stands out the most, with 9MW2821 holding high expectations.

This drug is an innovative site-specific antibody-drug conjugate with independent intellectual property rights, developed using chemical modification conjugation technology, and its target is Nectin-4.

Data from Pharma Intelligence shows that currently, there are over 10 targeted Nectin-4 ADC pipelines for the treatment of solid tumors in clinical development worldwide. Among them, Padcev is the only Nectin-4-targeted ADC drug approved in the U.S. and China, used for treating urothelial carcinoma and bladder cancer, with sales exceeding $2 billion in 2024.

Mabwell's 9MW2821 has entered the phase 3 stage for multiple indications, placing it among the global leaders.

Table 1 Global Nectin-4 ADC Pipelines in Clinical Stage

Data Source: PharmCube Data

According to the press release from Mabwell, after 9MW2821 is injected into the human body, it can bind to Nectin-4 on the surface of tumor cells and enter the cells. Through enzymatic action, it selectively releases cytotoxins, thereby achieving precise tumor killing. Additionally, 9MW2821 features uniform composition, high purity, and ease of industrial production.

Currently, the drug shows BIC potential across multiple indications:

For urothelial carcinoma, both monotherapy and combination therapy with PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have advanced to Phase III clinical trials, ranking second globally in terms of progress.

For cervical cancer, the world's first and only Nectin-4 ADC to advance to Phase III.

Betting on AI, Accelerating R&D Innovation

Mabwell has currently accumulated certain advantages in the ADC field, and its recent frequent moves in the AI sector are expected to further consolidate its comprehensive competitiveness in new drug R&D.

It is reported that DP Technology, with its independently developed series of large life science models such as the Uni-Smart multimodal scientific literature model, Uni-Mol molecular conformation model, and Uni-Fold protein folding model, has built a complete cognitive and computational system for the microscopic world.

This collaboration will integrate Mabwell's ADC technology advantages with DP Technology's RiDYMO® platform strengths, jointly exploring breakthrough innovations in target mechanism research, accelerating the discovery of drug molecules from 0 to 1, and promoting biopharmaceutical R&D to move from "experiment-driven" to "computation-driven," further enhancing R&D efficiency.

Insilico Medicine is a pioneer in the field of generative artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, having built an integrated drug discovery platform called Pharma.AI that covers biology, chemistry, clinical medicine, and scientific research. Among its biological components are engines such as PandaOmics and Generative Biologics, which enhance R&D efficiency by empowering drug target identification and de novo molecular fragment generation.

According to the cooperation agreement, the two parties will combine their respective platform advantages to develop a new generation of toxin payloads with novel biological mechanisms, innovative structures, and pharmaceutical activity, enhance ADC innovation efficiency, and help upgrade and iterate the AI platform.

The synergy between AI and ADC is expected to help Mabwell build a higher technological barrier, leaping from a follower to a leader in the ADC field while opening up a new battleground for an AI-driven pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem.

Source: 1. Mabwell: Mabwell Partners with DP Technology to Forge a New Paradigm for AI-Driven Drug Discovery through Strategic Collaboration

2. Mabwell: AI Empowers ADC Innovative Drug Development, Mabwell Announces Strategic Cooperation with Insilico Medicine

3. PharmaBlock

Editor: Liuli

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