Shaperon and Dong-A ST Sign MOU for Nanobody-Based New Drug Development

• Shaperon and Dong-A ST aim to maximize synergy through collaboration between Shaperon’s nanobody development platform technology and Dong-A ST’s antibody commercialization technology.
• The joint development of triple nanobody antibodies for cancer treatment is set to accelerate, with the goal of achieving visible results within the year.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. & SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hudson Therapeutics announced that Shaperon (KOSDAQ 378800, CEO Seung-Yong Seong), an innovative biopharmaceutical company specializing in immune therapeutics, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dong-A ST (KOSPI 170900, CEO Min-Young Kim) for the development of nanobody-based new drugs.

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A representative from Shaperon stated, “This MOU aims to leverage Shaperon’s nanobody development platform technology and Dong-A ST’s expertise in antibody commercialization to increase development speed and commercialization potential.” Additionally, they stated, “We plan to select the most effective nanobodies in mouse models with human tumor transplants by the end of this year.”

Since 2021, the two companies have collaborated on developing triple nanobody antibodies for cancer treatment. This involves using nanobodies to bring killer T cells and cancer cells into proximity by binding to targets on both cell types. Shaperon will advance nanobody development using its full-cycle platform, while Dong-A ST will leverage its antibody commercialization expertise for global biopharmaceutical development.

Nanobodies, about one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies, are gaining attention for next-generation immune checkpoint inhibitors due to their high stability, solubility, and production yield. Shaperon, the only domestic company with a full-cycle platform for nanobody production, development, and analysis from alpaca immunization, is developing a diverse pipeline targeting inflammation and cancer, including immune checkpoint dual antibodies and nanobody-based therapeutics.

Shaperon, the only domestic company with a full-cycle platform for nanobody production, development, and analysis from alpaca immunization, is developing a diverse pipeline targeting inflammation and cancer. This includes immune checkpoint dual antibodies and nanobodies for infectious diseases. Shaperon is also exploring nanobody-based protein therapeutics, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and radiopharmaceutical therapies. Recently, they published preclinical results on influenza-targeting nanobodies and presented anti-cancer PDL1-CD47 dual nanobodies at the AACR, gaining recognition for their technological capabilities.

Janice Marie McCourt of Hudson Therapeutics in the US stated, “We have numerous global biotech companies that we met at BIO, Bio Europe, Bio Asia and the Pharm Summit conferences who are signing confidentiality agreements to license the current preclinical immune-oncology bispecific lead program, along with collaborating on Shaperon’s nanobody development platform to create bispecific and trispecific nanobody antibodies in orphan indications, immunology, inflammation, oncology and infectious disease targets that are first-in-class or best-in-class assets with significant commercial potential. We are so excited that the global R&D scientists and clinicians are excited to collaborate with us and create an impact focused on patients with significant unmet needs.”

ABOUT SHAPERON

Shaperon is a clinical-stage biotech company developing novel inflammasome inhibitors. Its unique mechanism of action of GPCR19-P2X7 modulation suppresses a broad spectrum of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and TNF-α by controlling both the priming and activation phases of the inflammasome, whereas conventional approaches are designed to suppress only the activation phase. With this unique and novel modality, which is best suited to address complex immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, Shaperon is currently developing multiple clinical programs in atopic dermatitis, Alzheimer’s disease, and COVID-19 pneumonia in addition to pre-clinical pipelines, including NASH and obesity programs.

ABOUT HUDSON THERAPEUTICS

Hudson Therapeutics, a US subsidiary of Shaperon, was founded and incorporated in the US in 2023 to lead global clinical trials, investor relations, commercial strategy, and business development of assets from Shaperon. Hudson also plans to develop Shaperon’s early-stage assets in the future.

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