Adagene expands SAFEbody collaboration and license agreement with Exelixis to develop third novel masked antibody-drug conjugate

CAR-T Digest - August 2020

Weekly Digest - September 2025

16 September 2025: Adagene expands SAFEbody collaboration and license agreement with Exelixis to develop third novel masked antibody-drug conjugate

Adagene announced an amendment to its 2021 collaboration and license agreement with Exelixis, under which Exelixis will use Adagene’s SAFEbody technology to generate a masked monoclonal antibody from Adagene’s pipeline for development as an ADC against an Exelixis-selected solid tumor target
Adagene will receive development and commercialization milestone payments plus royalties on net sales of products developed under this agreement
The SAFEbody platform masks antibodies until they reach the tumor microenvironment, improving the therapeutic index by reducing off-target binding and safety issues
This collaboration aims to enable Exelixis to develop a “SAFE-ADC” that safely delivers cytotoxic or immune-modulating payloads directly to tumor cells
Adagene’s most advanced SAFEbody candidate, ADG126, is in a Phase 1b/2 trial for metastatic MSS colorectal cancer, with a Phase 2 trial expected to begin before the end of 2025