Asahi Kasei Acquires License for Targeted Antibody Technology

Cancer Treatment Asahi Kasei Acquires License for Targeted Antibody Technology

2026-06-03 Source: Press release Asahi Kasei 1 min Reading Time

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Conventional cancer therapies often damage not only tumor cells but also healthy tissue. Antibody-drug conjugates are designed to target tumor cells more precisely while reducing side effects. Asahi Kasei has acquired licenses from Japan’s Noguchi Institute for this promising approach.

ADCs combine the high specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the efficacy of cytotoxic agents in order to selectively attack tumor cells while largely sparing healthy tissue.(Bild: Asahi Kasei) — ADCs combine the high specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the efficacy of cytotoxic agents in order to selectively attack tumor cells while largely sparing healthy tissue.
(Bild: Asahi Kasei)

Asahi Kasei has secured the licensing rights to a novel technology for the production of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) from the Japanese Noguchi Institute. This process enables precise control of the drug-to-antibody ratio as well as the binding site in ADCs with one or two drug payloads. The technology is intended to support the development of more effective and safer cancer therapies.

Selective Treatment of Cancer Cells

ADCs are considered a promising approach in targeted cancer therapy. They combine the high specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the efficacy of cytotoxic agents in order to selectively attack tumor cells while largely sparing healthy tissue. Compared with conventional therapies, bioconjugation using ADCs enables a significantly more selective treatment of cancer cells.

Japanese Technology Delivers More Stable Therapies

The technology developed by the Noguchi Institute is based on many years of research in the field of carbohydrates and glycans. According to the institute, it is characterized by a particularly high degree of molecular structural homogeneity. This could improve the predictability of efficacy and safety while enabling more stable therapeutic effects.

In addition, the process allows the attachment of two drug molecules to a single antibody. This opens up new possibilities for the treatment of various diseases with greater specificity and potentially lower toxicity.

Cooperation with CDMOs

As part of the agreement, the two partners intend to advance the commercialization of ADC drug platforms. Planned activities include potential future sublicensing to biopharmaceutical companies as well as collaborations with contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) such as Bionova Scientific, which is part of the Asahi Kasei Group. The partners also intend to pursue joint research activities to further develop the technology and explore new medical application areas.

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