Posted on November 22nd, 2018 by Christy J. Wilson in Pharma R&D
Since our founding back in 2006, LegoChem Biosciences (LCB) has focused on the research and development of anti-biotic, anti-coagulant, anti-fibrosis and Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) therapeutics based on our proprietary platform technology, LegoChemistry™ & Conjuall™. LCB is comprised of researchers who have varied backgrounds and R&D experiences, including the development of Factive, the first US FDA-approved drug developed in Korea. Armed with this expertise, LCB has been developing novel drugs to target indications that are difficult to develop for and currently have few available therapies.
An unconventional approach to ADC therapeutics
In the field of ADCs, we are expanding our targets through co-development with companies that have an open-innovation strategy. We have come up with technical advancements to solve the problems that first generations often have. Unlike conventional ADC companies with technologies focused on antibody modification, LCB, with its internal medicinal chemistry expertise and external open innovation approach, has developed a novel, next-generation site-specific ADC platform.
Our ADC platform has been developed with novel linker chemistry that can result in the stability of ADCs during circulation in the blood stream, effectively prevent premature drug release and efficiently facilitate the liberation of the drug at the targeted tumor cells. Coupled with LCB’s proprietary PBD prodrug payload, which also comes as a result of LCB’s expertise in medicinal chemistry, this ADC platform yields a significantly improved Therapeutic Index compared to traditional ADC technologies.
We feel that all of these aspects are superior to our competitors. In addition, we anticipate that companies will be able to apply our proprietary conjugation method, so we can look forward to licensing deals with pharmaceutical companies that are studying various ADCs.
Hitting milestones with clinical trials and licensing
We are excited about some important achievements at LCB. The anti-biotic program for Gram-negative bacteria with high medical unmet needs will soon be in clinical trial phase I conducted by NIAID (an affiliation of NIH) in the United States. The program was selected for a supporting clinical trial program by the NIH in 2017. The anti-biotic for Gram-positive bacteria was designated Orphan Drug, QIDP & Fast Track by the US FDA for MDR-TB in 2017. And, its Phase IIb is going to be conducted globally in 2019
In ADCs, we are currently expanding our pipeline to various targets through co-development with different companies. We have been preparing for and expecting out-licensing to big global pharmas since licensing out to Fosun Pharma in 2015. Fosun Pharma has already submitted the phase I IND fillings to CFDA for HER2 ADC. It is going to be a huge milestone for our next steps in terms of our business development.
In addition, LCB’s ADC (antibody-drug conjugation) technology is ranked No. 2 in the “Best ADC Platform Technology” category at the World ADC Awards 2018, and proved the competitive advantages of its technology that will create industry-leading pipeline of groundbreaking. We hope that our ADC tech will make a significant difference in the lives of patients.
Our objective is to have the best tech
Heading into 2019, LCB’s primary goal is to be a company focused on novel therapeutics with unrivaled development technology. Currently, most pharmaceutical companies, excluding global pharmas, are concentrating on the development of generics based on expired patents. LCB has acquired and developed differentiated platforms and new drug technologies based on unique ideas.
By participating in the Hive and leveraging Elsevier’s solutions, we are strengthening our patent competitiveness in order to build partnerships with big pharma firms and develop novel therapeutics. We will continue to acquire new target technologies so that we can achieve a differentiated technology advantage compared to global competitors.
LegoChem contributing leads
Dr. Juyuel Baek: Chemistry, Project leader at ADC platform team #2; Dr. Jaeho Lee: Biocenter, Project leader at Antibiotics team; Dr. Jungmi Lee: a project manager in development management team; Mr. Jeong Yul, Yun: CMC, DS part General Manager; Dr. Dong Yeon Shin: Biology, Senior Research Scientist at ADC team #2; Dr. Joey H. Oh : Biology, Sr. Research Scientist at ADC bio team #1; Dr. Geun-Hyoung Ha: Biology, Project leader at anticancer team; Mr. Daeyoung Jeong: Business Development Center, Senior Manager; Dr. Sei-chang Ahn: Executive Director, Head of Process Center, Chemistry
Authors:
Juyuel Baek : Chemistry, Project leader at ADC platform team 2
Jy Baek is a project leader at the LegochemBio since 2016. He was a researcher at Vaxxilion GmbH, where he contributed synthetic carbohydrate vaccines and design for treating diseases based on organic chemistry. Dr. Baek holds a M.S and Ph.D. in chemistry from Yonsei University and did his postdoctoral training under Professor Peter H. Seeberger at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.
Daeyoung Jeong : Investor Relations Team leader at the Business Development Center
Mr. Jeong joined LCB on July 2018. He has been in charge of IR & PR. He majored in business administration at Chung Nam University. He has six years of experience in the financial industry and has been an IR specialist for 5 years in Bio & Pharma companies
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