SparX teams with Mitsubishi Tanabe on novel ADC project

21 May 2025

US biotech company SparX Biopharmaceutical has signed a research agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America aimed at advancing a new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets a novel immune cell protein.

The collaboration will focus on a preclinical ADC candidate designed to work across multiple tumor types by homing in on a unique immune cell surface marker. SparX has not disclosed the name of the target or a development timeline.

Based in Chicago, SparX is a clinical-stage developer focused on nanobody-based therapeutics. Its pipeline is supported by a proprietary ADC platform known as Nab2-ADC and an optimization engine, SAILING, which is integrated with AI and machine learning tools. The company also operates in-house cGMP manufacturing capabilities.

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