Lonza and Engitix have entered a licensing agreement aimed at advancing a new generation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that target the extracellular matrix (ECM) to treat chronic diseases. The deal combines Lonza’s clinically validated ADC technology platform with Engitix’s ECM-focused discovery approach.
Under the agreement, Engitix receives a single-target license to use Lonza’s SYNtecan E linker-payload alongside its GlycoConnect and HydraSpace technologies to develop and commercialize ADCs. Lonza, through an affiliated company, is eligible for upfront, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties on net sales of any resulting products. Lonza will manufacture components related to its proprietary technologies, while Engitix will lead research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the ADC candidates.
Engitix has built a proprietary human ECM platform that enables direct study of disease biology in human tissue, prioritizing targets in the ECM rather than traditional cell surface markers. By leveraging Lonza’s ADC platform, Engitix aims to design differentiated therapeutics that deliver potent payloads selectively to tumor-related ECM targets identified through its discovery engine.
Jan Vertommen, Vice President of Commercial Development, Advanced Synthesis at Lonza, said the collaboration seeks to advance next-generation ADCs and unlock new possibilities in targeted therapies. Engitix CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Giuseppe Mazza noted that access to Lonza’s conjugation and linker-payload portfolio provides a powerful toolkit to develop ECM-targeted drugs with the potential for enhanced efficacy, reduced toxicity, and an improved therapeutic index.
The agreement marks a key step in Engitix’s strategy to build a diversified pipeline of precision medicines addressing fibrosis, oncology, and other diseases driven by pathological tissue remodeling.