YiLian Bio and AstraZeneca Announce Clinical Collaboration to Evaluate Combination of YL201 and Durvalumab in Solid Tumors

Jan 14, 2025 08:59 CST Updated 08:59

MediLink

Antibody-Drug Conjugates Developer

AstraZeneca

Biopharmaceutical Manufacturer

Suzhou, China, January 14, 2025 -- MediLink Therapeutics (hereinafter referred to as "MediLink"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced a clinical research collaboration with AstraZeneca to explore MediLink's YL201 (a product based on MediLink's...TMALIN®Antibody-drug conjugates targeting B7H3 developed by the technology platform) in combination with AstraZeneca's Imfinzi®(General name: Durvalumab, an anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor) has the potential to treat various solid tumors.

Both parties will jointly initiate a multicenter, open-label, Phase I/Ib study to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of YL201 in combination with durvalumab in patients with solid tumors.

Durvalumab has been approved in China, the United States, and other countries and regions as a monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of various solid tumors. YL201 is currently in clinical development for multiple advanced solid tumors. At the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Meeting, the phase I/II clinical trial results of YL201 were disclosed for the first time, demonstrating efficacy and safety in small cell lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and driver gene-negative non-small cell lung cancer, among other solid tumors. Further research indicates that the combination of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and immune checkpoint inhibitors holds promise to enhance clinical benefits for cancer patients. In preclinical studies, YL201 and durvalumab have shown synergistic effects when used in combination. This collaboration is expected to explore further possibilities for the clinical treatment of various solid tumors.

YL201 is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B7H3. B7H3 is overexpressed on the differentiation and initiating cells of various malignant tumors but has limited expression in normal tissues, demonstrating potential for ADC drug development. YL201 is developed by MediLink Biopharma utilizing a next-generation proprietary tumor microenvironment-activatable novel toxin linker platform technology (TMALIN®) Combined with the highly specific B7-H3 antibody. YL201 has accumulated efficacy and safety data from over 300 participants in Phase I/II multicenter clinical trials in China and the United States. Currently, the Phase III clinical trial of YL201 is being actively prepared.

MediLink Biopharmaceuticals was founded in 2020 as a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative conjugate drugs. The company has developed various proprietary new toxin linker technologies with different mechanisms, including camptothecin-based toxin linkers cleavable by the tumor microenvironment.TMALIN®) technology, ten ADC products have received clinical approval in both China and the U.S. and have initiated clinical research. MediLink Biopharmaceuticals is committed to targeting unmet clinical needs, bringing better treatment options to cancer patients worldwide. MediLink Biopharmaceuticals is located in Suzhou, China, with research and development branches established in Shanghai, China, and Boston, USA.