Samsung Biologics Signs Additional Development and Manufacturing Agreement with STCube

Samsung Biologics has further expanded its partnership with STCube through an additional development and manufacturing service agreement of STM418, an anti-PD1 immuno-oncology candidate.

STM418 received much attention from the biopharma industry earlier this year upon publication in the Cancer Research Journal. Through preliminary studies, STCube reported that STM418, which selectively masks glycosylation site N58 on PD-1, potently inhibits PD-1/PD-L1 binding to enhance anti-tumor immunity.

Under the development and manufacturing agreement, Samsung Biologics will offer full scope of CDO services from cell line development, process development, non-clinical & clinical material manufacturing, to IND submission for global clinical trials of STM418.

"We look forward to getting fast IND approval for our novel PD-1 antibody through this extended partnership with Samsung Biologics, a world-class CDMO," said Hyun-jin Jung, CEO of STCube. "We will commence global clinical trials to prove the enhanced efficacy compared to existing PD-1 antibodies."

Samsung Biologics CDO business has been growing at a tremendous pace since its launch in 2018 with a high number – over 50% – of clients returning for additional business collaboration. STCube, another returning client, had entered into its first CDO partnership with Samsung Biologics in March this year for an immuno-oncology molecule, STT-003.

"We are grateful to STCube for this extended partnership and for recognizing our development expertise and our dedication to bringing client products to market faster and better," said Dr. Tae Han Kim, CEO of Samsung Biologics.