Lonza’s Synaffix Collaborates With BigHat Biosciences on the Development of a Machine Learning-Designed ADC

Synaffix B.V., a Lonza company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index, today announced that it has licensed its ADC technology to BigHat Biosciences, Inc. BigHat will combine Synaffix technology with its world-class ML antibody design platform for the development of a new ADC pipeline program.

Under the terms of the agreement, BigHat will receive target-specific access to Synaffix’s late-clinical stage, site-specific ADC technology platform, which enables the transformation of antibodies into proprietary, best-in-class ADC products. As a result of Lonza’s acquisition of Synaffix in June 2023, BigHat will also gain access to Lonza’s end-to-end ADC offering. This DNA-to-IND offering enables drug developers to seamlessly receive all necessary cGMP/non-cGMP ADC batches leading up to the first clinical trial under a single quality system encompassing all critical development and manufacturing activities, including the production of the antibody, bioconjugation, and drug product filling.

BigHat’s AI/ ML-powered antibody design platform, Milliner, integrates a synthetic biology-based high-speed wet lab with state-of-the-art ML technologies into a full-stack antibody discovery and engineering platform, to engineer antibodies with more complex functions and better biophysical properties. This approach reduces the difficulty of designing antibodies and other therapeutic proteins to tackle conditions ranging from chronic illness to life-threatening disease, while also massively speeding up candidate discovery and validation.

The collaboration with Synaffix/Lonza is instrumental to advancing BigHat’s next-gen ADC program, which is at IND-enabling stage and is on track to be BigHat’s first clinical stage program. BigHat’s next-gen ADC was optimized on BigHat’s Milliner platform for maximum payload delivery to tumor cells and optimal drug-like-properties. The incorporation of Synaffix’s GlycoConnect, HydraSpace, and toxSYN ADC technologies is intended to further improve the safety and efficacy of Big Hat’s next-gen ADC.

Peter van de Sande, Head of Synaffix, said “The ADC space continues to develop and evolve, and our collaboration with BigHat exemplifies the continued strength and appeal of our best-in-class ADC technology. We are excited to be at the forefront of next-generation ADC R&D by joining forces with BigHat and its AI/ML-enabled antibody discovery and development platform, BigHat is the ideal partner for Synaffix to collaborate with. We look forward to supporting BigHat with every step in the ADC development and manufacturing process under the Lonza umbrella.”

Jean-Christophe Hyvert, President, Biologics, Lonza, added “We are pleased to announce this collaboration with BigHat for its next-gen ADC molecule, which shows how drug developers can benefit from a fully integrated suite of services across our Biologics division. The Lonza network has continued to adapt to the evolving ADC landscape, including the recent addition of a highly potent vial fill capability at our Stein (CH) facility. This dedicated ADC drug product capacity expansion completes our offer for comprehensive, end-to-end development and manufacturing services for ADCs, simplifying the path from DNA-to-IND and beyond for our customers.”

Mark DePristo, CEO at BigHat Biosciences, also added “BigHat is leveraging our AI-driven antibody design platform, Milliner, to develop advanced biologics that provide safer and more effective treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers. We are excited to combine Synaffix’s conjugation and linker-payload technologies with our custom-designed antibody to create a next-generation ADC for patients with high unmet medical need.”