Lonza and Stipple Bio, Inc. have entered into a multi-target licensing agreement aimed at accelerating the development of next-generation precision oncology antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies.

Under the agreement, Stipple Bio will gain target-specific access to Lonza’s antibody-drug conjugate technology platform to support the design and development of potential first-in-class and best-in-class ADC candidates, including its lead program, STP-100. 

The collaboration combines Stipple Bio’s proprietary Pointillist Platform, which identifies tumor-specific cell surface epitopes, with Lonza’s established GlycoConnect ADC platform.

Stipple Bio’s approach is designed to enable the development of highly potent cancer therapies with improved therapeutic indices by selectively targeting tumor-specific epitopes while minimizing on-target, off-tumor toxicity, a key challenge in oncology drug development.

Jan Vertommen, Head of Commercial Development, Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, said the partnership brings together complementary strengths in ADC innovation. 

Vertommen noted that combining Stipple Bio’s novel epitope discovery capabilities with Lonza’s bioconjugation technologies and scalable manufacturing expertise could help accelerate the development of more precise and effective ADC therapies.

Jeff Landau, Chief Executive Officer of Stipple Bio, highlighted the growing importance of ADCs in cancer treatment and emphasized that advances in ADC design are driving improved efficacy and safety profiles. 

Landau said Lonza’s clinically validated platform would play a critical role in translating Stipple Bio’s precision-targeting approach into effective and better-tolerated therapies, beginning with STP-100.

As part of the agreement, Stipple Bio will gain access to Lonza’s clinically validated site-specific ADC technology suite, including GlycoConnect antibody conjugation technology, HydraSpace® polar spacer technology, and a toxSYN linker-payload platform. 

Lonza will be eligible to receive upfront payments as well as clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, in addition to royalties on future net sales of products arising from the collaboration.