Nona Biosciences and Lonza Forge Strategic Collaboration to Develop Single-Domain Antibody BBB-Crossing Technology for CNS Diseases
Key Insights
Nona Biosciences (search) and Lonza announced a strategic collaboration to develop best-in-class single-domain antibody-based blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technology for central nervous system diseases (search).
The partnership leverages Nona's proprietary Harbour Mice® fully human HCAb platform alongside Lonza's GS Gene Expression System® and GlycoConnect® bioconjugation technology.
Nona will receive upfront and option payments from Lonza, with both parties sharing revenues from future licensing agreements generated through the collaboration.
Nona Biosciences (search), a global biotechnology company advancing biologics discovery and development, and Lonza, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization, announced on July 1, 2026 a strategic collaboration to develop best-in-class single-domain antibody–based blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technology for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The partnership aims to address one of the most persistent challenges in drug development: delivering therapeutic modalities across the BBB to reach targets within the CNS.
The collaboration will leverage Nona Biosciences (search)' proprietary Harbour Mice® fully human heavy chain-only antibody (HCAb) platform to discover and develop next-generation single-domain antibody-based BBB-crossing technologies. The platform has demonstrated a proven ability to generate fully human HCAbs and VHH binders with exceptional affinity and developability, positioning the partnership to establish a best-in-class BBB-crossing technology capable of shuttling a diverse range of therapeutic payloads into the CNS.
Platform Synergies and Technology Integration
Under the terms of the agreement, Lonza will contribute its protein development expertise, world-leading GS Gene Expression System®, and GlycoConnect® bioconjugation technology to complement Nona's platform. These capabilities will support the optimization and broader application of selected BBB-crossing candidates, creating an integrated offering that spans from discovery through commercial manufacturing.
Peter Droc, Head of Licensing at Lonza, emphasized the immediate translational potential of the deal: "With the acquisition of IP rights to Nona's BBB-crossing technology and through our continued collaboration, we are immediately enabling our customers to translate promising CNS assets into viable therapeutics." He added that by combining the technology with flexible CDMO services, partners can engage "at any stage of their journey – from technology licensing to fully integrated development and commercial manufacturing – reducing complexity and helping accelerate the path to patients."
Financial Terms and Revenue Sharing
Nona Biosciences (search) is entitled to receive upfront and option payments from Lonza as part of the collaboration. Additionally, the parties will share revenues generated from future licensing agreements pursuant to the collaboration, creating aligned incentives for both organizations to maximize the technology's commercial potential.
Strategic Significance for CNS Drug Development
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Chairman of Nona Biosciences (search), described the partnership as validating Nona's platform and strategic focus in next-generation delivery technologies. "Lonza's global reach, regulatory expertise, and commercial manufacturing capabilities will help accelerate the advancement of our BBB-crossing technology," Wang stated. "Beyond technology development, the collaboration creates opportunities for licensing, commercialization and long-term value creation, while strengthening our position in the CNS delivery space and supporting better outcomes for patients."
Dr. Di Hong, Chief Executive Officer of Nona Biosciences (search), underscored the versatility of the underlying platform: "This collaboration underscores the power and versatility of our HCAb Harbour Mice® platform and its ability to generate differentiated, fully human single-domain binders that can tackle the most challenging delivery barriers in drug development." Hong expressed confidence that combining Nona's platform with Lonza's development and manufacturing expertise will yield "next-generation BBB-crossing solutions that can unlock new treatment paradigms for patients suffering from devastating CNS disorders."
The Harbour Mice® Platform
Nona Biosciences (search), a wholly owned subsidiary of HBM Holding Limited (search) (HKEX:02142), has built its proprietary Harbour Mice® technology platform to generate fully human monoclonal antibodies in both classical two-light and two-heavy chain (H2L2) format and heavy chain-only (HCAb) format. The HCAb Harbour Mice® platform is recognized as the world's first fully human HCAb transgenic mouse with clinical validation. The platform's fully human VH single-domain antibodies function as a plug-and-play system applicable across bispecific antibodies, multi-specific antibodies, CAR-T therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), mRNA-based therapeutics, and other modalities.
Beyond Harbour Mice®, Nona's integrated discovery engine includes single-B cell screening technology, NonaCarFx™ (a direct CAR-function-based screening platform), Hu-mAtrIx™ (an AI-driven drug discovery platform), and Modalities-on-Demand® (a next-generation modalities solution), supported by end-to-end preclinical drug development services through its I to I® framework.