Lotte Biologics spotlights ADC breakthroughs at 5th innovation forum

Lotte Biologics said Friday that it held a “Future Innovation Technology Development Forum” for the company’s executives and employees at its Songdo IBS Tower in Incheon.

Lotte Biologics has regularly held forums on the latest biopharmaceutical development and production technologies since last year to enhance technological differentiation and cooperation in the global market.

This forum, the fifth such event, featured GC Biopharma R&D Division Head Jeong Jae-uk as the keynote speaker, with Kanaph Therapeutics CEO Lee Byoung-chul also in attendance.

GC Biopharma R&D Division Head Jeong Jae-uk presents at Lotte Biologics' Technology Development Forum. (Courtesy of Lotte Biologics)

GC Biopharma's Jeong delivered a presentation titled “Evolving from traditional approaches to innovative breakthroughs,” introducing GC Biopharma’s pipelines and sharing the development status of its recently entered ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) field.

Jeong highlighted the limitations of past cytotoxic anticancer drug–based treatments, which target not only rapidly dividing cancer cells but also normal cells, leading to side effects. He explained the differentiated advantage of ADCs, which combine antibodies with anticancer drugs to selectively deliver payloads to cancer cells, thereby minimizing damage to normal cells.

Lotte Biologics' “SoluFlex Link” technology is an innovative conjugation platform enabling precise drug delivery and targeted attack by ADCs, simultaneously enhancing therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Based on a dedicated linker with enhanced hydrophilicity, it can be applied to various payloads and maintains high yields even under challenging conditions. This results in superior outcomes compared to existing ADC therapeutics across in vivo efficacy, pharmacokinetics, stability, and productivity, Lotte Biologics explained.

Lotte Biologics' ADC production facility at the Syracuse Bio Campus in New York provides a one-stop CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) service that meets customer needs from clinical development through commercial production.

“We are conducting diverse research with partners possessing outstanding technological capabilities,” Jeong said. “We are particularly striving to secure higher-value assets through collaboration with Kanaph Therapeutics, which holds core ADC linker technology.”

He added that Lotte Biologics, with its New York production facility, can play a significant role in targeting the global market with various therapeutic technologies, not only through early clinical data but also through joint research projects.

Since April last year, Lotte Biologics has been building a global network by inviting world-renowned experts, such as Professor Nathan Tumey, Ph.D., from the State University of New York College of Pharmacy, an authority in the ADC field, Dr. Oren Beske of the U.S. biotechnology company ATUM, Dr. Mark Chiu of Tavotek BioTherapeutics, and Dr. Jonny Finlay of Ottimo Pharma.

Kern Chang, head of technology development at Lotte Biologics, stated, “Lotte Biologics is commercializing innovative technologies based on its geopolitical strengths and quality competitiveness.”

Chang added, “We will strive harder as a global ADC CDMO and look forward to contributing as a new treatment option for patients and the medical field.”