ABL Bio lands GSK, Lilly deals to advance next-gen CNS drugs

ABL Bio is accelerating its entry into the global central nervous system (CNS) disease market through significant international deals, beginning with Sanofi.

After its single-asset technology transfer deal with Sanofi, ABL Bio has continued this momentum by signing platform-based agreements with GSK and Lilly this year.

ABL Bio, which has focused on developing anticancer bispecific antibodies, is now leveraging its blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform “Grabody-B” to partner with global pharmaceutical companies and accelerate the development of new CNS drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

ABL Bio’s corporate identity

Expanding global new drug development network with ‘Grabody-B’

Building on its Sanofi collaboration, ABL Bio has enhanced the competitiveness of its BBB shuttle platform by forging agreements with GSK and Lilly this year.

On Wednesday, ABL Bio announced that it signed a technology transfer and joint research and development agreement with Eli Lilly for its Grabody-B platform. The two companies plan to develop multiple therapeutics based on various modalities using this platform.

ABL Bio’s Parkinson's disease candidate, ABL301 (SAR446159), was licensed to Sanofi in 2022 and is now being advanced into phase 2 clinical trials by the company. Sanofi's successful completion of ABL301’s phase 1 is considered a key factor in the subsequent deal with GSK.

The collaboration with GSK, signed last April, is a project to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases using various modalities, including antibodies, siRNA, and ASO, leveraging Grabody-B. With the addition of this technology transfer and joint R&D agreement with Lilly, ABL Bio's global collaboration network has expanded significantly.

Through the Lilly agreement, ABL Bio will receive an upfront payment of $40 million (about 58.5 billion won). GSK’s upfront payment of £38.5 million (about 73.9 billion won) brings ABL Bio’s total from technology transfer agreements to approximately 132.4 billion won this year alone.

The Lilly agreement enables the development of multiple therapeutics across various modalities, highlighting the platform’s versatility and its potential to expand into new markets.

“Grabody-B's standing has risen to a global level,” ABL Bio CEO Lee Sang-hoon said. “We will expand indications into areas with significant unmet needs, including obesity and muscle disorders.”

Why global big pharma is focusing on the BBB shuttle Grabody-B

Grabody-B, central to the GSK and Lilly agreements, is a platform that efficiently aids CNS drug delivery. The BBB protects the brain from harmful external substances, but it also acts as the largest barrier to CNS drug development by blocking therapeutic agents from reaching the brain. Grabody-B is designed to effectively transport drugs across the BBB by targeting the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R).

“While most promising therapeutic candidates are antibody-based, the lack of a means to cross the BBB has been a major limitation,” said Christopher Austin, Senior Vice President of Research and Technology at GSK, at the time of the GSK deal. “Grabody-B will be central to GSK's next-generation pipeline.”

GSK reportedly aims to expand its CNS portfolio through this agreement, delivering not only antibodies but also nucleic acid–based therapeutics to the brain.

Collaboration with donanemab’s developer raises expectations for synergy

Lilly has recently been focusing its investments on CNS and neurodegenerative diseases. Notably, its Alzheimer's treatment, Kisunla (donanemab), has been approved and commercialized in the U.S., with final clinical trials underway for approval in Korea. It is also expanding its R&D across the CNS spectrum, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

This year, Lilly signed a licensing agreement with Sangamo Therapeutics for its AAV-based BBB capsid platform, “STAC-BBB,” valued at approximately $1.4 billion. It also signed separate agreements with QurAlis for the ALS ASO pipeline “QRL-204,” and with Alchemab Therapeutics for the ALS antibody pipeline “ATLX-1282.”

Through these efforts, Lilly aims to develop treatments for degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and ALS. The addition of ABL Bio's Grabody-B is expected to play a key role in expanding Lilly's CNS R&D portfolio by enabling the safe delivery of its acquired platforms and compounds to the brain.