Stipple Bio partners with Lonza on multi-target ADC platform for precision oncology therapies
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Stipple Bio Inc., has entered a multi-target license agreement with Switzerland-based Lonza (SIX: LONN) to access the CDMO's clinically validated antibody-drug conjugate platform across multiple oncology programs, including its lead candidate STP-100. The deal pairs Stipple Bio's Pointillist Platform — which identifies tumor-specific cell surface epitopes — with Lonza's site-specific conjugation technologies to generate precision ADCs designed to minimize on-target, off-tumor toxicity. STP-100 is expected to enter early clinical studies in 2027.
Financial terms were not fully disclosed. Lonza is eligible to receive upfront, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties on net sales of resulting products. The specific upfront amount, milestone values, and royalty rates were not made public.
Deal context
The Stipple Bio license agreement grants access to three core components of Lonza's ADC platform: GlycoConnect antibody conjugation technology, HydraSpace polar spacer technology, and a toxSYN linker payload. Together, these enable site-specific conjugation at the native Fc glycan of any IgG1 antibody, producing homogeneous ADCs with a defined drug-antibody ratio without requiring antibody re-engineering.
The mechanistic rationale centers on improving therapeutic index. GlycoConnect uses chemoenzymatic glycan remodeling to install a bioorthogonal azide handle at the Fc Asn297 glycan site, followed by metal-free click chemistry to attach the linker-payload. The glycan pocket location provides steric protection for the conjugate in circulation. HydraSpace addresses a common limitation of potent payloads — hydrophobicity-driven aggregation and accelerated clearance — by inserting a polar spacer between the attachment point and the drug. The toxSYN component provides the cytotoxic warhead.
Stipple Bio's contribution is upstream target identification. The company's Pointillist Platform screens for antibody binders against intact living tumor cells while applying counter-selection against normal tissue, identifying epitopes that are physically accessible on tumor cells but not on the same protein expressed in healthy tissue. The specific target antigen for STP-100 has not been publicly disclosed, nor has the indication. The platform is described by the company as modality-agnostic, with identified epitopes potentially applicable to ADCs, T-cell engagers, or radiopharmaceuticals.
Lonza is responsible for manufacturing components related to its proprietary technologies. Stipple Bio retains responsibility for all research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the resulting ADCs.
Industry and transaction context
The structure of this deal is consistent with Lonza's established model for out-licensing the Synaffix platform — acquired in June 2023 — on a target-specific, multi-program basis. In January 2026, Lonza's Synaffix unit signed a structurally identical multi-target license with San Diego-based Sidewinder Therapeutics for bispecific ADC development, under the same GlycoConnect/HydraSpace/toxSYN bundle. Other partners for include South Korea-based Qurient Therapeutics, and Boehringer Ingelheim, the latter January 2025 deal including milestone payments of up to USD 1.3 billion.
Stipple emerged from stealth only two months via a USD 100 million Series A co-led by RA Capital, a16z Bio+Health, and Nextech Invest. The company was founded in 2022 by Aaron Ring of Fred Hutch Cancer Center and Aashish Manglik of UCSF. Securing platform access before clinical entry is structurally sensible: the Synaffix supply chain is designed to support rapid IND timelines, and locking in manufacturing and technology terms ahead of first-in-human studies reduces execution risk.
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Summary
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Stipple Bio, Inc. has entered a multi-target license agreement with Switzerland-based Lonza (SIX: LONN) to access the CDMO's...