Harbour BioMed, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics in immunology and oncology, today announced that it has entered into a long-term strategic collaboration with Yantai Lannacheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. ("Lannacheng"). The two parties will leverage their respective resources and strengths to jointly advance the development of next-generation radionuclide drug conjugates (RDCs).
Compared with conventional radiotherapy, RDCs utilize tumor antigen–specific ligands to deliver radionuclides directly to tumor lesions for targeted radiotherapy, thereby effectively reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. In contrast to antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), the radionuclides in RDCs can also exert cytotoxic effects on neighboring tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment, even if those cells do not express the target antigen. This mechanism offers a potential advantage in overcoming tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. In addition, this technology holds the potential to achieve theranostics—integrating both diagnosis and treatment.
With its advanced technology platforms and deep expertise, Harbour BioMed has built a solid foundation in antibody discovery and development. The company's proprietary Harbour Mice® platform enables the generation of fully human monoclonal antibodies in both conventional (H2L2) and heavy chain-only (HCAb) formats, eliminating the need for additional engineering or humanization. The HCAb technology, in particular, produces unique, fully human heavy chain-only antibodies that are approximately half the size of conventional IgGs, offering significant advantages for next-generation antibody therapeutics. In the development of RDCs, fully human antibodies—characterized by low immunogenicity, superior tissue penetration, and high specificity and stability—can significantly enhance the efficiency of targeted delivery, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy while effectively reducing drug-related toxicity and side effects.