Sinobioway and BioAtla share CAB co-development plan
The firms agreed to collaborate on CAB development last May. A month later Sinobioway became BioAtla's largest backer when its investment arm stumped up $30m (€27m) for a stake in the US biotech.
Under the deal, Sinobioway has the right to develop and commercialize the CAB products in China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. BioAtla will retain the right to sell the products in the rest of the world.
Sinobioway will fund the development and commercialization in China, and will pay BioAtla around $70m through its investment arm in Shanghai.
CAB for tumor targeting
CABs are active or inactivate under defined physiological conditions. They are produced using BioAtla’s proprietary technologies that allow the firm to substitute selected amino acid residues in the protein sequence.
The resulting proteins are only active under specific microphysiological conditions – such as those surrounding cancerous tissue – which means they can be used to precisely deliver toxic chemotherapies to tumors without affecting
CAB-designed mAbs could be programmed to deliver the treatment to the selected conditions, improving accuracy and reducing side effects, according to BioAtla.
Company chairman, Pan Aihua, said CABs provide an opporunity to develop a new class of immuno-oncology therapeutics and will be “important elements in Sinobioway’s mission to improve health in China.”
BioAtla CEO Jay Short said China is an “immensely important” opportunity for CABs and the collaboration is the keystone of the company’s long-term plans to meet growing demand for innovative drugs in China.
Partly backed by Peking University, Sinobioway has over 15 subsidiaries across China. It is building an antibody facility in Hefei, Anhui province.
CAB share
Sinobioway is not the only company eyeing on BioAtla’s CAB technology.
In December, Pfizer signed a $1bn deal with BioAtla to develop and commercialize a new class of antibody therapeutics using the CAB platform.
