Iksuda Therapeutics and Femtogenix partner on progressing ADCs

Antibody drug conjugate (ADC) company Iksuda Therapeutics today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with fellow UK-based Femtogenix (FGX), a next-generation ADC payload company.

As part of this agreement, Iksuda – which changed its name from Glythera last September - will use FGX’s sequence-selective DNA-interactive payload molecules to progress its lead ADC towards the clinic, with the aim of targeting difficult-to-treat solid tumors.

By harnessing FGX’s highly potent and broad-acting DNA mono-alkylating payloads in combination with its own PermaLink conjugation platform, Iksuda aims to significantly improve the therapeutic index of its ADCs and further advance the current standard of care for solid tumor types, which can be resistant to treatment. The agreement marks another key step in the build-out of Iksuda’s ADC technology-suite and drug pipeline, from which it aims to progress multiple candidates towards first clinical studies in 2020.