Antengene Corporation Co., Ltd.

Adcendo ApS, a Copenhagen-based clinical-stage biotech, and MSD (Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ) announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement to evaluate a combination of Adcendo’s tissue factor-targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC) ADCE-T02 with Keytruda (pembrolizumab). The Phase Ib study will evaluate the regimen across advanced solid tumors, with Adcendo set to act as sponsor while MSD will supply pembrolizumab under the deal terms. ADCE-T02 is a topoisomerase-1 inhibitor-based ADC targeting Tissue Factor, a protein overexpressed across a range of solid tumors including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and cervical cancer. The asset is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy in the Phase I Tiffany-01 study (NCT06597721) in patients with advanced solid tumors. The new Phase Ib combination study will assess escalating doses of ADCE-T02 alongside standard-dose pembrolizumab, with safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy as primary endpoints. Adcendo anticipates dosing the first patient in the second half of 2026. MSD has established a pattern of entering clinical collaboration and supply agreements with ADC developers seeking to combine their assets with pembrolizumab. In May 2025, MSD entered a structurally comparable agreement with Antengene Corporation to evaluate ATG-022, a CLDN18.2-targeting ADC, in combination with Keytruda in advanced solid tumors. Adcendo itself has previously expanded its pipeline through external platform licensing, exercising an option in November 2024 to broaden its license of Duality Biologics’ DITAC ADC linker-payload technology beyond its original uPARAP-targeting program. This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by the AllSci editorial team Explore more at AllSci News: https://allsci.com/news/ Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Privacy Terms About Us Copyright © 2026. AllSci Corp. All rights reserved.

UCB has turned to the east to bolster its immunology pipeline with a T-cell engager (TCE), licensing China-based Antengene Corporation’s ATG-201— a novel CD19/CD3 bispecific designed for B cell-driven autoimmune diseases — in a deal worth up to $1.18 billion.ATG-201 is developed using Antengene’s proprietary AnTenGager platform, which applies steric hindrance-based masking to enable disease antigen-dependent CD3 engagement. It combines bivalent CD19 binding with a proprietary fast-on/fast-off CD3 binder, aiming to achieve potent B-cell depletion while minimising cytokine release syndrome risk and T-cell exhaustion."Access to Antengene's cutting-edge [TCE] platform technology enhances our ambition to lead in immunology," said Alistair Henry, chief scientific officer at UCB.Under terms of the agreement announced Tuesday, UCB secures an exclusive licence to develop, manufacture and commercialise ATG-201 globally, alongside access to associated manufacturing technology. Antengene will pocket $60 million upfront, with eligibility for an additional $20 million in near-term milestones, followed by over $1.1 billion in success-based milestone payments, plus tiered sales royalties.Antengene will complete Phase I studies of ATG-201— planned in China and Australia — before transferring further development responsibilities to UCB. The former noted it retains nine additional disclosed programmes in its pipeline, spanning autoimmune diseases, solid tumours and haematological malignancies. The latest pact adds to a rising wave of licensing activity around TCEs. Earlier this year, AbbVie signed a $1.2-billion deal with Suzhou Zelgen Biopharmaceuticals for ex-China rights to the trispecific alveltamig. More recently, Astellas committed $1.7 billion to partner with Vir Biotechnology on a dual-masked CD3 TCE.

Hong Kong-headquartered Antengene Corporation and Brussels-based UCB (Euronext Brussels) announced a global license agreement granting UCB worldwide exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize ATG-201, a CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager antibody targeting B cell-related autoimmune diseases. For UCB, the deal represents a return to B cell-targeting strategies in the immunology space. UCB gains access to the manufacturing technology related to ATG-201, while Antengene will lead on IND filings for the molecule and initiation of first-in-human Phase I studies in China and Australia before transferring further clinical development to UCB. Antengene will receive USD 60 million upfront and USD 20 million in near-term milestone payments, totaling USD 80 million in upfront and near-term consideration. The company is eligible for over USD 1.1 billion in success-based development, regulatory, and sales milestones, along with tiered royalties on future net sales. The deal is structured as a full global out-license, with Antengene retaining no long-term territorial commercialization rights. Deal context ATG-201 is a bispecific antibody built on Antengene’s proprietary AnTenGager platform, which uses a “2+1” format — two CD19 binding arms and one CD3 binding arm — combined with steric hindrance masking technology and a proprietary fast-on-fast-off CD3 binder. The molecule is designed to redirect T cells to eliminate CD19-expressing B cells while reducing the risk of cytokine release syndrome. Antengene plans to submit clinical trial applications for ATG-201 in China and Australia in Q1 2026. The asset is pre-Phase I, with no clinical trial registry entries publicly available at the time of announcement. For UCB, the deal adds a B cell autoimmune therapy modality to an immunology pipeline historically built on monoclonal antibodies and other biologics. UCB previously pursued CD22-targeted B cell depletion through an epratuzumab collaboration with Immunomedics, structured in 2009 with approximately USD 38 million upfront and later restructured in 2011; that program was ultimately discontinued. The ATG-201 agreement represents a return to B cell-targeting strategies, this time via a T-cell engager format. No prior deals between Antengene and UCB were identified; this is the first transaction between the two companies. For Antengene, the transaction represents a shift from its historical pattern of in-licensing Western assets for Asia-Pacific development — such as its selinexor license from Karyopharm Therapeutics — to out-licensing a proprietary, platform-derived candidate to a global pharma company. Nine additional disclosed products remain in the AnTenGager pipeline. The Antengene transaction comes amid rising industry investment in T-cell engager therapies targeting B-cell biology in autoimmune diseases. In January 2025, Merck acquired global ex-China rights to Curon Biopharmaceutical’s CD19×CD3 bispecific antibody CN201 in a deal worth up to USD 1.3 billion, including USD 700 million upfront. Candid Therapeutics is another TCE specialist focused on autoimmune programs, and recently merged with Rallybio gaining USD 505 million in new financing, with programs targeting BCMA, CD20, and CD19/CD20 combinations. The modality also has precedent in oncology through Amgen’s CD19/CD3 bispecific blinatumomab (Blincyto), which is currently being evaluated in a Phase II autoimmune disease study (NCT06570798) in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Meanwhile, CD19 CAR-T therapies for autoimmune disease include Kyverna Therapeutics’ KYV-101, currently Phase 2 for lupus nephritis. The UCB license agreement positions the company within this competitive set, though ATG-201’s differentiated platform design — incorporating conditional T-cell activation via steric masking — may address tolerability concerns that have limited earlier CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager approaches. ATG-201 remains at an early development stage, and clinical data will be required to confirm whether the platform’s design translates into a differentiated safety and efficacy profile relative to both CAR-T and other TCE modalities targeting autoimmune diseases indications. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website