CompleCure taps AGC for AMDC-based cancer-therapy development

The partnership focuses on the development of complex tetrameric-structured protein components for breast-cancer treatment. The contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) is working towards strategizing a manufacturing process at its Chiba, Japan facility. 

Antibody mimetics drug conjugate (AMDC) technology uses avidin-biotin complexes to combine antibody mimetics that recognize various target molecules and drugs (payloads) that attack cancer cells, enabling the efficient discovery of highly effective treatments. 

“AMDC is attracting attention because it quickly finds the optimal combination of target proteins expressed in cancer cells and payloads that attack cancer cells,” a spokesperson for AGC Biologics told BioProcess Insider. “This technology has not yet been put to practical use. Research and development are currently being carried out.”  

The spokesperson added, “The drug using AMDC technology consists of a protein part that fuses a modified streptavidin variant, Cupid, [that exhibits] low immunogenicity, and a chemical synthesis part that forms a non-covalent complex between Cupid and a payload conjugated to Psyche, a biotin variant with a high affinity for Cupid. By building libraries for Cupid and Psyche, [we hope] to achieve tailor-made medicine that can immediately select and treat the most suitable anticancer drug for each cancer.” 

As the partnership transitions from early-stage development project to commercialization, AGC will manufacture the protein component at its facility once the process development is completed. CompleCure aims to commercialize this drug from 2030 onwards, while the CDMO will handle both the protein and chemical synthesis parts of this project. 

“Our Chiba site is a multipurpose facility with gravity-based design enabling it to guarantee flexibility and high-quality production that can be fitted to meet specific needs of projects like this one. We anticipate the process development to be completed by the end of 2025, AGC Biologics will also support next steps as a CDMO,” the spokesperson added. 

In June 2024, AGC partnered with Essential Pharma to develop, scale-up, and manufacture Essential’s Hu14.18 (Hu1418K322A), an anti GD2 (a surface antigen) humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb), licensed from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2023 to treat high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB). Moreover, in November 2023, the firm partnered with Medigene to manufacture its lead product candidate, a T cell receptor (TCR-T) therapy that treats solid cancers for Phase I clinical trials, at its Milan, Italy site.