Agreement with NTU Singapore marks further progress in ASLAN’s strategy to create a leading biologics platform
Singapore, 13 October 2016 – ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (ASLAN), a biotech company focused on the development of immunotherapies and targeted agents for Asia prevalent tumour types, today announced that it has entered into a licensing and research collaboration agreement with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) for the development of Modybodies, a novel type of stabilised heavy chain monoclonal antibody (mAb) fragments.
ASLAN will collaborate with NTU on the development of Modybodies against three targets of ASLAN’s choice and has an exclusive option, under pre-negotiated terms, to obtain global rights to develop and commercialise Modybodies. ASLAN expects the first Modybody from the collaboration to enter clinical development in 2018. The technology originated from a laboratory at NTU’s School of Biological Sciences headed by Professor Pär Nordlund, a world-leading structural biologist who established the Structural Genomics Consortium laboratory at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Commercial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Due to their small size, Modybodies have higher tissue penetration than monoclonal antibodies and can be linked together into heterodimers/trimers to further create novel molecules. Modybodies are especially beneficial for challenging drug targets and their customisable half-life allows for pharmacokinetic modulation.
This agreement with NTU marks ASLAN’s second licensing and development collaboration with a leading scientific research institute in Singapore. ASLAN recently announced a partnership with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) on the in-licensing and development of a RON antibody. ASLAN is planning to establish a biologics laboratory in Singapore to develop the manufacturing processes for its biologics portfolio, including the RON antibody and Modybodies.
The development of the Modybodies technology has been granted the support of the SPARK@NTU programme which was started by NTUitive, NTU’s innovation and enterprise company. SPARK@NTU was launched in April 2015 with the aim of supporting the translation of promising academic research programmes in products, tools and platforms with applications in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Commenting on the agreement, Dr Bertil Lindmark, Chief Medical Officer of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, said: “Our agreement with NTU is wholly aligned with ASLAN’s strategy and commitment to developing a broad pipeline of proprietary immunotherapies with the potential to transform the treatment of Asia prevalent cancers. It is a further example of ASLAN’s success in establishing partnerships with leading institutions to enhance our research strength and accelerate the clinical development of new therapies. We look forward to collaborating closely with Professor Nordlund and his team as we seek to share expertise in the fields of drug discovery and development.”
Professor Pär Nordlund added: “I am very pleased that by working together with ASLAN we will not only strengthen the capabilities of the Singapore biologics industry, but will also accelerate the important innovations needed to develop drugs that can change the way Asia prevalent tumours are treated. This agreement with ASLAN provides a strong development partner for this exciting new technology, which has the potential to transform the way we treat cancer.”
Ends
Media contacts
Emma Thompson / Stephanie Tan
Spurwing Communications
Tel: +65 9171 2862
Email: ASLAN@spurwingcomms.com
About ASLAN Pharmaceuticals
ASLAN Pharmaceuticals is an oncology focused biotechnology company developing a portfolio of immunotherapies and targeted drugs, focusing on Asia prevalent tumour types. Led by a highly experienced management team with global pharmaceutical expertise, ASLAN is headquartered in Singapore with a platform which reaches across the region via its offices in Taiwan, China and Australia, enabling the Company to conduct and support regional clinical development programmes. The Company’s proprietary pipeline of 4 development-stage candidates addresses multiple indications including gastric and breast cancers and inflammatory diseases. ASLAN’s most advanced compounds are in phase 2: ASLAN001, a pan-HER inhibitor with phase 2 data in gastric cancer, being developed in cholangiocarcinoma, breast cancer and gastric cancer; and ASLAN002 (partnered with BMS), which targets RON, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, and cMET. www.aslanpharma.com
About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and its Interdisciplinary Graduate School. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI). Ranked 13th in the world, NTU has also been ranked the world’s top young university for the last two years running. The University’s main campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore’s medical district. For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg
About SPARK@NTU
SPARK@NTU is a programme aimed at supporting researchers at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in the translation of academic research into new therapies, tools and products for the benefit of patients and society. The programme supports selected projects with: access to specialised information/knowledge; funding to conduct key experiments which will increase the value of the academic research; business development activities including IP management. The programme is based upon SPARK AT STANFORD, a platform created by the Stanford University School of Medicine and is integrated in NTUitive’s activities. For more information please contact Programme Director Dr Maurizio Varrone maurizio.varrone@ntuitive.sg
Singapore, 13 October 2016 – ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (ASLAN), a biotech company focused on the development of immunotherapies and targeted agents for Asia prevalent tumour types, today announced that it has entered into a licensing and research collaboration agreement with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) for the development of Modybodies, a novel type of stabilised heavy chain monoclonal antibody (mAb) fragments.
ASLAN will collaborate with NTU on the development of Modybodies against three targets of ASLAN’s choice and has an exclusive option, under pre-negotiated terms, to obtain global rights to develop and commercialise Modybodies. ASLAN expects the first Modybody from the collaboration to enter clinical development in 2018. The technology originated from a laboratory at NTU’s School of Biological Sciences headed by Professor Pär Nordlund, a world-leading structural biologist who established the Structural Genomics Consortium laboratory at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Commercial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Due to their small size, Modybodies have higher tissue penetration than monoclonal antibodies and can be linked together into heterodimers/trimers to further create novel molecules. Modybodies are especially beneficial for challenging drug targets and their customisable half-life allows for pharmacokinetic modulation.
This agreement with NTU marks ASLAN’s second licensing and development collaboration with a leading scientific research institute in Singapore. ASLAN recently announced a partnership with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) on the in-licensing and development of a RON antibody. ASLAN is planning to establish a biologics laboratory in Singapore to develop the manufacturing processes for its biologics portfolio, including the RON antibody and Modybodies.
The development of the Modybodies technology has been granted the support of the SPARK@NTU programme which was started by NTUitive, NTU’s innovation and enterprise company. SPARK@NTU was launched in April 2015 with the aim of supporting the translation of promising academic research programmes in products, tools and platforms with applications in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Commenting on the agreement, Dr Bertil Lindmark, Chief Medical Officer of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, said: “Our agreement with NTU is wholly aligned with ASLAN’s strategy and commitment to developing a broad pipeline of proprietary immunotherapies with the potential to transform the treatment of Asia prevalent cancers. It is a further example of ASLAN’s success in establishing partnerships with leading institutions to enhance our research strength and accelerate the clinical development of new therapies. We look forward to collaborating closely with Professor Nordlund and his team as we seek to share expertise in the fields of drug discovery and development.”
Professor Pär Nordlund added: “I am very pleased that by working together with ASLAN we will not only strengthen the capabilities of the Singapore biologics industry, but will also accelerate the important innovations needed to develop drugs that can change the way Asia prevalent tumours are treated. This agreement with ASLAN provides a strong development partner for this exciting new technology, which has the potential to transform the way we treat cancer.”
Ends
Media contacts
Emma Thompson / Stephanie Tan
Spurwing Communications
Tel: +65 9171 2862
Email: ASLAN@spurwingcomms.com
About ASLAN Pharmaceuticals
ASLAN Pharmaceuticals is an oncology focused biotechnology company developing a portfolio of immunotherapies and targeted drugs, focusing on Asia prevalent tumour types. Led by a highly experienced management team with global pharmaceutical expertise, ASLAN is headquartered in Singapore with a platform which reaches across the region via its offices in Taiwan, China and Australia, enabling the Company to conduct and support regional clinical development programmes. The Company’s proprietary pipeline of 4 development-stage candidates addresses multiple indications including gastric and breast cancers and inflammatory diseases. ASLAN’s most advanced compounds are in phase 2: ASLAN001, a pan-HER inhibitor with phase 2 data in gastric cancer, being developed in cholangiocarcinoma, breast cancer and gastric cancer; and ASLAN002 (partnered with BMS), which targets RON, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, and cMET. www.aslanpharma.com
About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and its Interdisciplinary Graduate School. It has a new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI). Ranked 13th in the world, NTU has also been ranked the world’s top young university for the last two years running. The University’s main campus has been named one of the Top 15 Most Beautiful in the World. NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore’s medical district. For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg
About SPARK@NTU
SPARK@NTU is a programme aimed at supporting researchers at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in the translation of academic research into new therapies, tools and products for the benefit of patients and society. The programme supports selected projects with: access to specialised information/knowledge; funding to conduct key experiments which will increase the value of the academic research; business development activities including IP management. The programme is based upon SPARK AT STANFORD, a platform created by the Stanford University School of Medicine and is integrated in NTUitive’s activities. For more information please contact Programme Director Dr Maurizio Varrone maurizio.varrone@ntuitive.sg
