On January 26th, the biotech industry reported significant progress in the development of multi-specific antibody-based immune cancer drugs by South Korean companies. MustBio, founded in February 2021 by experts in new drug development, specializes in research and development (R&D) of antibody drugs. President Maeng-Seop Kim, a former director at Anguk Pharmaceutical and Hanmi Pharmaceutical, leads MustBio's core technology called 'BICSTA (Best-in-class in multi-specific targeting).' The company, dedicated to competing globally, secured a series B investment of $12.3 million in December 2022, with participation from existing and new investors.

MustBio's most advanced pipeline, MB101, is currently in development, and the company is actively seeking partnerships across various R&D and business areas to further enhance its capabilities.

Arkgen Bioscions, founded by pharmaceutical R&D experts, aims to be a leader in immune cancer therapy. Led by Seung-Won Lee, a former director at LG Chem, the company utilizes the 'Arkgen Multibody Platform (AMB Platform)' to develop multi-specific antibody immune cancer drugs. The AMB Platform, a fragment-type multi-target antibody manufacturing technology, binds to three or more targets, offering improved efficacy and reduced toxicity compared to conventional antibody therapies. Arkgen Bioscions was selected for the 'Deep-Tech TIPS' program, receiving up to $1.3 million in support for entrepreneurship, R&D, and international marketing. The company plans to apply the AMB Platform to develop 'T-cell engagers' for cancer therapy in the coming year.

Cyron Therapeutics focuses on developing novel solid tumor drugs using antibody discovery and engineering technologies. In December of last year, the company entered a collaborative research agreement with Celltrion to develop dual and triple antibodies. The partnership involves joint research utilizing Cyron Therapeutics' proprietary CD3-targeting T-cell Engager (TCE) platform. TCE multi-antibodies have proven efficacy in hematologic malignancies, and the collaboration aims to expand into solid tumors, with the goal of improving patient access to treatment.

Industry insiders agree that South Korean multi-antibody cancer drug companies must demonstrate efficacy and safety in Phase 1/2 clinical trials to establish global competitiveness. A representative from a bio-venture emphasized the importance of proving efficacy and safety in early clinical trials when targeting new disease targets, citing the ability of platform technologies to showcase efficacy and ease of manufacturing in animal experiments targeting well-known diseases, thereby securing global competitiveness.