[Kim Jiwan, Edaily Reporter] On October 24, Korea’s biotech market saw a surge in activity, driven by a string of positive developments in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and anticancer drug programs.

INTOCELL jumped sharply after resolving its patent dispute. Genome & Company extended gains ahead of global data disclosure for its new ADC candidate, and HLB Life Science rallied after its liver cancer trial results were published in the world-renowned medical journal The Lancet, boosting overall investor sentiment across related stocks.

INTOCELL gains momentum after patent dispute resolved

INTOCELL continued its upward momentum after recent news that its collaboration with Samsung Bioepis had been reinforced and its ADC-related patent dispute resolved.

According to KG Zeroin’s MP Doctor (formerly Market Point), INTOCELL closed at 48,150, up 2,850 (15.59%) from the previous session.

Tae-Kyo Park, CEO of INTOCELL (Photo = Saemi Kim, Edaily)

Samsung Bioepis announced on the 21st that it had signed a joint research and exclusive license agreement with Chinese biotech company Frontline Biopharma to collaborate on antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates. This deal effectively resolved the patent controversy surrounding INTOCELL’s core technology, “Nexatecan3.”

Frontline Biopharma, which possesses a bispecific antibody, dual payload ADC platform, is recognized as an emerging innovator in the oncology field. Under this agreement, Samsung Bioepis obtained exclusive rights to apply one of Frontline’s payload technologies, the cytotoxic component responsible for killing cancer cells, to its own development pipeline.

The issue stemmed from the fact that this payload technology was closely related to INTOCELL’s Nexatecan3, which had previously raised concerns about possible patent overlap. INTOCELL had signed a technology partnership with Samsung Bioepis in December 2023, providing its proprietary OPAS linker platform and payload technology. The two companies have since been collaborating to develop and evaluate up to five ADC candidates targeting various cancers.

However, market uncertainty lingered over potential patent infringement involving Nexatecan, and the controversy deepened when Abybel Bio terminated its technology licensing agreement with INTOCELL in July. With this new Samsung Bioepis?Frontline deal, however, concerns about INTOCELL’s patent risks appear to be resolved.

Samsung Bioepis also announced plans to jointly develop two ADC pipelines with Frontline, with “TJ108” as the first candidate. TJ108 is a dual-target ADC based on topoisomerase I and tubulin inhibitors, designed to attack both EGFR and HER3?targets commonly overexpressed in multiple solid tumors?to maximize therapeutic efficacy.

An industry official commented, “By reinforcing its partnership with Samsung Bioepis and clearing patent uncertainties, INTOCELL has regained technological credibility and is now positioned to accelerate its R&D in the ADC field.”

Genome & Company rises on anticipation of data disclosure

Genome & Company’s shares climbed on growing investor optimism as the firm prepares to unveil preclinical data for its next-generation ADC candidate, GENA-120, on the global stage.

The stock closed at 2,755, up 95 (3.57%) from the previous day.

A Genome & Company researcher conducts an experiment. (Photo provided by Genome & Company)

The company announced it will participate in the World ADC San Diego conference, held from November 3~6 (local time) in the United States, where it plans to present preclinical data for GENA-120 and discuss potential strategic collaborations with global pharma partners.

As one of the largest ADC-focused events, World ADC gathers over 1,000 global researchers, biotech firms, and investors to discuss the latest ADC technologies and commercialization strategies. Genome & Company will showcase key preclinical data demonstrating GENA-120’s anti-tumor activity and its novel target’s expression profile.

GENA-120 targets GICP-120, a new cancer biomarker discovered through Genome & Company’s AI-driven drug discovery platform, GNOCLE™. Research results show that GICP-120 is highly expressed in multiple solid tumors?including head and neck, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, and gastric cancers? but rarely found in normal tissues. The company will also present data confirming GENA-120’s strong anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical models.

Hong You-seok, Co-CEO of Genome & Company, said, “Our presentation at World ADC will showcase GENA-120’s global potential,” adding that the company “will continue to share key pipeline data at major international conferences and pursue tangible milestones such as technology licensing.”

HLB Life Science sustains gains on The Lancet publication

HLB Life Science extended its rally following the publication of clinical trial results for its liver cancer drug in The Lancet.

The stock closed at 4,485, up 615 (15.59%), after hitting an intraday high of 4,530.



The rally followed HLB’s announcement that its combination therapy of rivoceranib and camrelizumab had demonstrated over twofold improvement in disease-free survival (DFS) compared with surgery alone in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

This marks the first clinical validation of the rivoceranib camrelizumab combination in early and intermediate-stage HCC, expanding its potential beyond previously confirmed efficacy in advanced liver cancer. The study was conducted by China’s Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, involving 294 patients across 16 hospitals.

An HLB spokesperson said, “This outcome provides a strong foundation to extend the combination therapy strategy across the entire treatment spectrum of liver cancer.”