SunRock Biopharma and Escugen Forge Alliance to Develop First-in-Class CCR9-Targeted ADC
SunRock Biopharma and Escugen have entered a strategic partnership to co-develop SRB123, a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate targeting CCR9, a tumor-associated antigen overexpressed in pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers
Share
The collaboration combines SunRock's proprietary SRB1 antibody, selected for its high binding affinity and efficient tumor cell internalization, with Escugen's EZWi-Fit™ linker-payload platform, a next-generation ADC technology optimized for the linker stability and selective tumor release of the potent payload. The result is a highly differentiated therapeutic candidate designed exclusively for solid tumors with high CCR9 expression and internalization rates.
Under the agreement, both companies will share development responsibilities, file joint patents, and hold reciprocal licensing option rights. The primary goal is to generate robust preclinical proof-of-concept data to support early clinical entry in the near term.
'Combining our deep antibody engineering expertise with Escugen's innovative conjugation platform enables us to deliver a precision oncology candidate with First-in-Class potential,' said Dr. Laureano Simón, CEO of SunRock. 'CCR9 remains an underexploited but clinically validated target. This program addresses real unmet needs in aggressive tumors with poor prognosis.'
Dr. Qing Zhou, Co-Founder and CEO of Escugen, stated, 'This strategic collaboration with SunRock Biopharma aligns with our vision of developing First-in-Class precision oncology candidates through technological innovation. It further highlights the unique advantages of our EZWi-Fit™ platform technology in next-generation ADC development. The platform's strong anti-tumor activity and favorable tolerability provide a solid foundation for targeting high CCR9-expressing solid tumors. We are confident that combining our expertise will accelerate SRB123's progress and bring new hope to patients.'
CCR9 has been associated with metastatic potential and chemoresistance, particularly in pancreatic and ovarian cancers. SRB1, the unconjugated antibody from SunRock, has already demonstrated strong preclinical efficacy in these models. The ADC format (SRB123) leverages this targeting while enhancing tumor cell killing via Escugen's payload delivery system.
The partnership will be showcased during the BIO International Convention 2025, where both companies will engage with potential development and commercialization partners.
About SunRock Biopharma
SunRock Biopharma is a biotech company focused on developing next-generation antibody-based therapies targeting unmet medical needs in oncology and immunology. Operating under an open innovation model, SunRock combines cutting-edge academic science, advanced technology platforms, and a selective business approach to generate highly differentiated, licensable assets. Its portfolio includes optimized monoclonal antibodies, next-generation ADCs, and radioconjugates, with validated targets such as CCR9 and HER3. SunRock follows an early-stage out-licensing strategy, designed to maximize risk-adjusted returns, and maintains active collaborations with leading pharma and biotech partners worldwide.
About Escugen
Escugen is a clinical-stage biotechnology company located in Shanghai, China, focusing on the development of innovative ADC drugs. Currently, Escugen's lead Trop-2 ADC pipeline, ESG401, has entered Phase III clinical trials. Escugen's next-generation linker-payload technology platform, EZWi-Fit®, offers significant competitive advantages in terms of safety, efficacy, anti-multiple drug resistance, and pharmacokinetic characteristics. Leveraging this platform technology, Escugen is rapidly expanding its ADC pipeline targeting new or validated target. The first ADC product baring the EZWi-Fit® technology has successfully launched its FIH clinical campaign. In addition, Escugen has licensed this platform technology to several domestic and international biotechnology companies to empower their innovative ADC projects.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
5 hours ago
- Business Wire
Sandisk Forms HBF™ Technical Advisory Board to Guide Development and Strategy for High-Bandwidth Flash Memory Technology
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced the formation of a Technical Advisory Board to guide the development and strategy of its groundbreaking High Bandwidth Flash (HBF™) memory technology. The board includes industry experts and senior technical leaders from both within and outside the company. Appointed today, Professor David Patterson and Raja Koduri will provide strategic guidance, technical insight, market perspective, and shape open standards as Sandisk prepares to launch HBF. 'We're honored to have two distinguished computer architecture experts join our Technical Advisory Board,' said Alper Ilkbahar, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, and HBF Technical Advisory Board member at Sandisk. 'Their collective experience and strategic counsel will be instrumental in shaping HBF as the future memory standard for the AI industry, and affirming we not only meet but exceed the expectations of our customers and partners.' Professor David Patterson, Pardee Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley and a Google distinguished engineer, will lead the Technical Advisory Board and guide the group toward actionable insights and decisions. He is a prominent computer scientist known for co-developing Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC), which revolutionized processor design. He played key roles in the development of Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID), and Networks of Workstations (NOW). Patterson co-authored the seminal textbook Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach and was also awarded the 2017 ACM Turing Award for his contributions to the industry. 'HBF shows the promise of playing an important role in datacenter AI by delivering unprecedented memory capacity at high bandwidth, enabling inference workloads to scale far beyond today's constraints,' said Professor Patterson. 'It could drive down costs of new AI applications that are currently unaffordable.' Raja Koduri is a computer engineer and business executive renowned for leading graphics architecture, with previous positions at AMD as Senior Vice President and Chief Architect and at Intel as Executive Vice President of Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics. He directed the development of AMD's Polaris, Vega, and Navi GPU architectures, Intel's Arc and Ponte Vecchio GPUs, and spearheaded Intel's foray into discrete graphics. In early 2023, he founded a startup focused on generative AI for gaming, media, and entertainment, and joined the Board of Tenstorrent in the AI and RISC‑V semiconductor space. Most recently, he serves as Founder/CEO of Oxmiq Labs and Co-Founder of Mihira Visual Studios and continues to shape graphics and AI innovation through advisory and board roles across the semiconductor industry. 'HBF is set to revolutionize edge AI by equipping devices with memory capacity and bandwidth capabilities that will support sophisticated models running locally in real time,' said Koduri. 'This advancement will unlock a new era of intelligent edge applications, fundamentally changing how and where AI inference is performed.' Introduced at Future FWD: Sandisk 2025 Investor Day, HBF is a breakthrough memory solution designed to augment High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI inference workloads, offering comparable bandwidth while delivering up to 8x the capacity at a similar cost. Enabled by BiCS technology and CBA wafer bonding, HBF leverages proprietary stacking with ultra-low die warpage for 16-high configurations. Its architecture has been developed over the past year with input from leading AI industry players. For more information about HBF, please visit this Fact Sheet. About Sandisk Sandisk (Nasdaq: SNDK) delivers innovative Flash solutions and advanced memory technologies that meet people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. Follow Sandisk on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Join TeamSandisk on Instagram. Sandisk and the Sandisk logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sandisk Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. © 2025 Sandisk Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Hamilton Spectator
9 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
VERSES® Featured in IEEE Spectrum
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VERSES AI Inc. (CBOE: VERS) (OTCQB: VRSSF) ('VERSES'' or the 'Company'), a cognitive computing company specializing in next-generation agentic software systems, has been featured in IEEE Spectrum, the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world's largest professional organization devoted to engineering and the applied sciences. The article, co-authored by VERSES CEO Gabriel René, addresses questions such as: Why does the Spatial Web matter? How, exactly, can it make the world better? These are answered with five example use cases for the Spatial Web: VERSES CEO Gabriel René said 'I am delighted to see our vision of the Spatial Web in IEEE Spectrum. These standards will make it easier for our product, Genius™, to interconnect a physical world-full of devices, phones, wearables, robots, drones, and even AI agents. For Genius customers, this can mean quicker development and deployment and lower integration costs.' The article can be found at: About VERSES VERSES® is a cognitive computing company building next-generation intelligent software systems modeled after the wisdom and genius of Nature. Designed around first principles found in science, physics and biology, our flagship product, Genius,™ is an agentic enterprise intelligence platform designed to generate reliable domain-specific predictions and decisions under uncertainty. Imagine a Smarter World that elevates human potential through technology inspired by Nature. Learn more at , LinkedIn and X . On behalf of the Company Gabriel René, Founder & CEO, VERSES AI Inc. Press Inquiries: press@ Investor Relations Inquiries James Christodoulou, Chief Financial Officer IR@ , +1(212)970-8889
Business Wire
9 hours ago
- Business Wire
Bradford Health Services Earns Coveted "Great Place To Work"® Certification
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bradford Health Services, a leading provider of drug and alcohol addiction treatment across the Southeastern U.S., today announced it has been officially certified as a Great Place To Work®. This recognition, awarded by the global authority on workplace culture, underscores Bradford Health's commitment to building a supportive, inclusive, and high-trust environment for its more than 1,600 U.S.-based employees. 'This certification is a reflection of the servant-leadership philosophy that guides us at Bradford,' said Rob Marsh, Chief Executive Officer. Share Bradford Health achieved certification with 67% of employees reporting a positive experience at work, surpassing the typical U.S.-based company average of 57%. Key areas of strength highlighted by employees include: 89% agree they are entrusted with significant responsibilities. 86% say their work has special meaning beyond being 'just a job,' and that they felt welcomed upon joining. 84% affirm they feel they make a difference in the organization. 82% report they can be themselves at work. 'This certification is a reflection of the servant-leadership philosophy that guides us at Bradford,' said Rob Marsh, Chief Executive Officer. 'We've built a culture where our people come first—where leaders exist to support, uplift, and empower our teams to live out our mission with purpose and compassion.' Great Place To Work® conducts its evaluations using its proprietary Trust Index™ survey and Trust Model™, which assess culture across five pillars: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. About Bradford Health Services With 40 years of experience, Bradford Health Services operates addiction treatment centers in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. The organization is accredited by The Joint Commission and delivers evidence-based care at every stage of the recovery journey. About Great Place To Work® Certification Great Place To Work® Certification ™ is the gold standard for workplace culture recognition. Based on anonymous employee feedback, the certification recognizes organizations that foster high levels of trust, pride, and camaraderie.
