SUZHOU, SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan 10, 2025 -- MediLink Therapeutics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.  (“MediLink”) today announced a new strategic collaboration and worldwide license agreement with Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) to use MediLink’s TMALIN® antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform for the development of a novel LRRC15 ADC, ZL-6201, consisting of an antibody discovered by Zai Lab.

Through this collaboration, Zai Lab further expands its global oncology pipeline with another potential first-in-class ADC targeting multiple solid tumors and addressing significant unmet medical needs. ZL-6201 has demonstrated encouraging preclinical data with an IND expected to be filed in 2025.

“Zai Lab’s strong commitment to innovation and proven track record of global development impressed us through our existing collaboration,” said Tony Xue, PhD, CEO at MediLink. “This new partnership further validates our technology and enhances our strategic partnership. We believe our collaboration with Zai Lab will bring this innovative therapy to patients worldwide.”

“MediLink has built a differentiated proprietary ADC technology platform, and we are excited to broaden our global partnership,” said Rafael G. Amado, M.D., President, Head of Global Research and Development at Zai Lab. “Building on the promising findings from our ongoing clinical trials for ZL-1310, this new collaboration demonstrates our continued focus on developing cancer therapies with ADC drugs and enriches our global oncology pipeline to address unmet medical needs. We look forward to working with MediLink to advance this compound into the clinic soon.”

About LRRC15

Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15) is a type I transmembrane protein involved in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. It is overexpressed in various mesenchymal tumors such as sarcoma, glioblastoma and melanoma, where it promotes tumor metastasis. Additionally, LRRC15 is upregulated in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) across various cancer types, contributing to immune-excluded and immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). This makes LRRC15 an appealing target for cancer therapy.

About TMALIN® ADC technology platform

The Tumor Microenvironment Activable LINker-payload (TMALIN®) is an innovative ADC platform technology developed by MediLink Therapeutics with proprietary intellectual property rights. It employs dual cleavage mechanisms, operating both extracellularly in the tumor microenvironment and intracellularly in lysosomes. TMALIN® possesses high hydrophilicity, homogenous DAR value, excellent plasma stability, and specific tumor accumulation characteristics. In preclinical efficacy and toxicology studies, ADCs developed based on TMALIN® exhibited significant therapeutic window. So far, several ADC products based on TMALIN® platform have entered into clinical trial stage.

About MediLink

MediLink Therapeutics, founded in 2020, is a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative conjugated drugs for global patients. MediLink has established its proprietary TMALIN®ADC technology platform, enabling stabilized conjugation of highly homogeneous high-DAR (drug-antibody ratio) ADC so as to augment therapeutic window for the treatment of solid tumors. Our goal is to provide better treatment options for global patients and address unmet medical needs. The company is located in Suzhou and Boston, with subsidiaries in Shanghai and Singapore.