ProBioGen Partners with Spica Therapeutics to Advance First-in-Class Anti-CD163 Antibody ST101 for Cancer Immunotherapy
核心洞察
ProBioGen (搜索) and Spica Therapeutics (搜索) announced a collaboration to develop ST101, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting immunosuppressive CD163 (搜索)+ tumor-associated macrophages for oncology (搜索) applications.
The partnership integrates ProBioGen (搜索)'s GlymaxX technology to enhance antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and utilizes their CHO.RiGHT expression platform for cell line development.
ST101 is designed to selectively deplete pathogenic macrophage subsets while preserving beneficial immune cells, aiming to remodel the tumor microenvironment and boost cancer (搜索) patient responses to immunotherapy.
ProBioGen (搜索) and Spica Therapeutics (搜索) have announced a strategic collaboration to advance ST101, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody designed to selectively deplete immunosuppressive CD163 (搜索)+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in oncology (搜索) applications. Under the agreement announced December 9, 2025, ProBioGen will perform cell line development for Spica's lead clinical development candidate, incorporating proprietary technologies to enhance the antibody's therapeutic potential.
Novel Approach to Cancer Immunotherapy
ST101 represents a pioneering approach to cancer (搜索) treatment by targeting pathogenic macrophage subsets within the tumor microenvironment. The antibody is specifically designed to deplete immunosuppressive CD163 (搜索)+ TAMs while preserving beneficial immune cells, potentially improving patient responses to immunotherapy.
"Integrating their GlymaxX technology supports our strategy of developing ST101 to deeply deplete immunosuppressive TAMs to remodel the tumor microenvironment, with the aim of boosting responses of cancer (搜索) patients receiving immunotherapy," said Dr. Hilde Revets, Director of Non-Clinical Development at Spica Therapeutics (搜索).
Enhanced Manufacturing Platform
The collaboration leverages ProBioGen (搜索)'s comprehensive technology suite, including their CHO.RiGHT expression platform and DirectedLuck transposase system for precise genetic engineering. The integration of GlymaxX technology is designed to boost antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) through targeted afucosylation.
"ProBioGen (搜索)'s CHO.RiGHT expression platform including our proprietary DirectedLuck transposase system for precise genetic engineering is designed to support biologics with high performance, high purity, and robust productivity. Incorporating GlymaxX offers an additional layer of functional enhancement aimed at strengthening the therapeutic potential of ST101," explained Dr. Gabriele Schneider, Chief Business Officer at ProBioGen.
Technology Integration
GlymaxX technology enhances ADCC activity through targeted afucosylation while maintaining flexibility in production. The technology can be integrated into both new and existing antibody cell lines without affecting productivity or product quality. The same cell line can produce antibodies with different fucosylation levels by simply changing the culture medium conditions.
DirectedLuck, ProBioGen (搜索)'s next-generation transposase system, combines a highly active transposase/transposon pair with epigenetic targeting to insert multiple transgene copies into genomic regions with high transcriptional activity. This enables exceptionally high and stable protein expression while reducing timelines and manual clone selection efforts.
Company Backgrounds
Spica Therapeutics (搜索), headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, is a biotechnology company founded on pioneering research from Aarhus University. The company utilizes a proprietary functional fingerprinting platform to identify and deplete specific pathogenic macrophage subsets for treating cancer (搜索), fibrosis (搜索), and inflammatory diseases (搜索).
ProBioGen (搜索), based in Berlin, Germany, operates as an expert in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing with over 30 years of experience. The company runs three manufacturing lines in Berlin with 300 employees and focuses on expanding its service value chain through organic growth and strategic opportunities.