CEO Woo Jung-won tells UK biotech journal the compound's compatibility with ADCs and ICIs makes it well-suited for platform development
South Korean biotech MedPacto plans to develop its next-generation anticancer drug candidate MP010 into a platform technology. The compound is expected to show efficacy as a monotherapy, but the company sees its greatest potential in combination regimens and its ease of pairing with other antibodies.
MedPacto CEO Woo Jung-won outlined the strategy in an interview published Sept. 2 in the UK biotech journal Pharmaboardroom, in which he said, "Korea's real strength right now is active, innovative discovery research."
"We are actively pursuing combination therapies pairing MP010 with ADCs — antibody-drug conjugates — and ICIs, or immune checkpoint inhibitors," Woo said. "A number of global companies have already expressed strong interest."
MP010 selectively binds to EDB-FN, an extracellular matrix protein overexpressed in the tumor microenvironment, or TME. It also inhibits TGF-β, a key TME regulator that drives immune evasion and cancer metastasis, making it an innovative new drug candidate.
"It can be combined and co-administered with almost any antibody, giving it strong potential as a platform technology," Woo said. "Multiple ADC developers are considering MP010 as a way to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of their own drugs."
He added that the compound offers flexibility across all development parameters — not only formulation, but also indication and treatment stage — and that the company intends to pursue early-stage technology transfers aggressively.
Unlike many existing therapies that target cancer cells directly, MP010 focuses on dismantling the fibrotic cellular barrier tumors construct to shield themselves. In preclinical studies, the compound administered as a monotherapy demonstrated high complete remission rates, long-term survival and immune memory effects in hard-to-treat cancers including pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer. It has drawn interest from global pharmaceutical companies even before entering clinical trials.
MedPacto is conducting joint preclinical research on ADC combination therapy with Chinese biotech Innorake Biopharma. In South Korea, the company is developing MP010 with support from the Korea Drug Development Fund and is preparing for a Phase 1 trial, with a goal of filing an investigational new drug application before the end of the year.
freiheit@heraldcorp.com
