MediLink Therapeutics have announced that it has entered into a worldwide collaboration and license agreement with Roche on the development of a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate candidate YL211, targeting c-Mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-Met) against solid tumours.

YL211 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate specifically targeting c-Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met), which belongs to the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. c-Met is closely associated with tumour formation, aggressive growth, and metastasis, making it a critical target for treating epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Despite c-Met targeting therapies including ADCs showing efficacy for patients with solid tumours, there remains an opportunity to address the significant unmet medical need for patients by providing a better treatment option worldwide. YL211, currently at IND stage, utilises MediLink’s latest generation TMALIN ADC platform technology, along with a highly specific c-Met antibody. It has demonstrated promising  efficacy and safety in various preclinical tumour models and safety evaluation experiments.

Under the terms of the agreement, MediLink will grant Roche exclusive global rights for the development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of MediLink’s ADC asset, YL211. MediLink will work together with Roche’s R&D unit China Innovation Center of Roche (CICoR) to initiate the Phase I clinical trial of YL211 and Roche will then take over the further development and commercialisation globally. MediLink will receive upfront and near-term milestone payments totaling $50 million and, together with additional development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments potentially reaching a total deal value nearing $1 billion, as well as tiered royalties on future global annual net sales.