Achieves record seventh consecutive win in the ‘Best 바카라 Platform Technology’ category
[by Ji, Yong Jun] LigaChem Biosciences (hereafter referred to as LCB) announced on November 5 (local time) that it received two awards at the 12th World 바카라 Awards (바카라 Awards), held in San Diego, USA.
IKS014 (development code LCB14), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate targeting the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) licensed to its partner, IKSUDA Therapeutics (hereafter referred to as IKSUDA), received the top honor in the ‘Most Promising ADC to Watch’ category.
IKS014 also received an Excellence Award in the ‘Best ADC Platform Technology’ category. This marks the first time a clinical-stage drug developed using LCB’S ADC platform has been recognized with an award. The company stated that these acknowledgements from global industry experts signify LCB’s evolution into a clinical pipeline-driven organization.
The ‘Most Promising ADC to Watch’ category, in which LCB14 received the top honor, recognizes early-stage clinical ADC candidates that have demonstrated outstanding potential based on released Phase 1 clinical data. This year, a total of five drug candidates were selected as finalists in the category.
The finalists included LCB’s HER2-targeting ADC ‘IKS014’ and ROR1-targeting ADC ‘CS5001 (LCB71),’ along with Pfizer's PD-L1-targeting ADC ‘Fetrastobart vedotin’ and Mersana Therapeutics' B7-H4-targeting ADC ‘Emiltatug ledadotin.’ Among these, IKS014, LCB’s HER2-targeting ADC, was selected as the top candidate following a vote by a panel of global ADC experts.
The company stated that LCB’s HER2-targeting ADC was selected as the most promising ADC clinical candidate at this year's ADC Awards in recognition of its demonstrated clinical excellence and commercial potential. Recently, interim results from a global Phase 1 clinical trial of IKS014 were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2025), demonstrating superior efficacy and tolerability compared to other competing HER2-targeting ADCs.
Notably, IKS014 achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 75% in breast cancer patients who were refractory or resistant to ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan), underscoring its strong market potential. The company’s Chinese partner, Fosun Pharma, is currently conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial of the candidate in breast cancer patients in China, further enhancing the prospects for future commercialization in the Chinese market.
LCB extended its seven-year winning streak by earning the Excellence Award in the ‘Best ADC Platform Technology’ category, honoring the most outstanding ADC platform technologies in the industry. This year, the top honor in the category was awarded to Daiichi Sankyo, a multinational pharmaceutical company whose platform technology has been applied to commercialized ADC therapies worldwide.
Furthermore, the list of finalists included ADC platforms from prominent global companies, such as Synaffix, a subsidiary of Lonza, with its ‘GlycoConnect’ technology, and Catalent with its ‘SMARTag’ platform. LCB emphasized that its consistent recognition at the ADC Awards underscores its leadership and technological excellence in the global ADC platform arena.
Following the award, LCB also delivered a presentation session at the ‘World ADC Summit,’ held at the same venue from November 3 to 6, where it showcased the differentiated competitive advantages of its proprietary ADC platform, ‘ConjuAll.’ The company noted that being recognized for seven consecutive years as having the industry’s best ADC platform technology, while also developing the most promising ADC pipeline, once again highlights LCB’s technological prowess and leadership in the global ADC industry.
"This is the first time our HER2-targeting ADC has been selected as the most promising ADC, signifying external recognition of its potential to become a 'best-in-class' ADC therapy following ENHERTU. Building on these positive clinical results, we expect to receive significant value through our ongoing and accelerating technology licensing negotiations," said Chae Jei-wook, Chief Business Development Officer at LCB.