Chinese biotech inks ADC platform deal with ConjugateBio

30 April 2025

Shanghai-based biotech Shijian Bio has signed an exclusive option agreement with US firm ConjugateBio to license its EZWi-Fit platform, a next-generation technology for antibody-drug conjugates (ADC).

The deal gives ConjugateBio, based in Princeton, New Jersey, an exclusive option to use the platform for ADCs against certain targets, following payment of an option fee. If the option is exercised, the agreement grants global exclusive rights and could bring Shijian over $100 million in milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on net sales.

This marks another overseas recognition for Shijian’s proprietary linker-payload platform, which the Chinese firm has been steadily licensing to international peers. The move helps amplify Shijian’s global footprint in the ADC space, as competition for differentiated payload and linker technologies intensifies.

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