Transcenta announced the latest data for its novel LIV1 ADC TST013, demonstrating significant anti-tumor activity in PDX models of prostate cancer and ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer.

Princeton, New Jersey, USA, and Suzhou, China, April 23, 2026 — Transcenta (06628.HK), an international biopharmaceutical company with integrated capabilities in biologic drug discovery, development, process development, and manufacturing, today announced the presentation of preclinical research data for its proprietary LIV1-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. The data show that the drug exhibits significant anti-tumor activity, payload-differentiated efficacy, and favorable tolerability profiles, supporting further development in LIV1-positive solid tumors.

LIV1 is a member of the zinc transporter family, with limited expression in normal tissues but frequently overexpressed in various cancers, including breast cancer (93%), prostate cancer (72%), and lung cancer (10%), making it an attractive cell surface target for ADC drug development.

Transcenta developed 48D6, a novel proprietary humanized anti-LIV1 monoclonal antibody with high affinity, high specificity, and good internalization capability. Evaluated using Retrogenix cell microarray technology, 48D6 was confirmed to have no off-target interactions with other human proteins, validating its high target specificity. Based on 48D6, Transcenta developed two ADC candidates using a glycosyltransferase-mediated site-specific conjugation platform: ADC-2 (conjugated with a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload) and ADC-3 (conjugated with an MMAE payload).

Pharmacokinetic studies conducted in Balb/c mice showed that the half-life of ADC-2 was approximately 10.4–11.6 days, significantly longer than that of the benchmark control SGN-LIV1A analog (3.7–3.9 days), and comparable to the unconjugated antibody 48D6 (13.8–15.6 days), indicating good in vivo stability.

In vivo efficacy studies demonstrated that ADC-2 exhibited significant anti-tumor activity in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of LIV1-expressing ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when administered once weekly for four consecutive weeks at a dose of 6 mg/kg.

In the prostate cancer PDX model expressing LIV1, ADC-2 showed limited tumor suppression after the first two doses. After switching to ADC-3 based on MMAE from the third dose, ADC-3 significantly inhibited the growth of prostate tumors. In the prostate cancer PDX model with high LIV1 expression, the tumor growth inhibition effect of ADC-3 persisted for more than 70 days after dosing was stopped.

In exploratory toxicology studies assessing safety and tolerability, ADC-2 demonstrated good tolerability in mice at all tested doses after multiple administrations. Slight damage was observed in the 60 mg/kg group during the dosing period, but full recovery was achieved by the end of the recovery period. Based on these results, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ADC-2 in mice was determined to be 60 mg/kg. The safety and tolerability of ADC-3 have not yet been studied.

The above data indicate that Transcenta's LIV1-targeted ADC-2 and ADC-3 exhibited significant anti-tumor activity as monotherapy in ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer (accounting for 60% of breast cancer cases) and prostate cancer PDX models, with both showing good tolerability in mice. Transcenta's LIV1-targeted ADC also demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumor models, with related data presented at the 2024 SABCS. These results support Transcenta's further advancement of this product in research and development for LIV1-positive solid tumors.

About Transcenta

Transcenta is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with comprehensive capabilities in biologic drug discovery, research and development, process development, and production.

Headquartered in Suzhou, Transcenta has successfully established a global business presence: it operates drug discovery, clinical, and translational research centers in Suzhou, a process and product development center and manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, and clinical development centers in China, the United States, and Europe. Transcenta is developing a diversified pipeline of dozens of novel biologics covering oncology and non-oncology indications, including orthopedics, autoimmune diseases, and kidney diseases.

For more information about Transcenta, please visit the company website: www.transcenta.com or the LinkedIn page: Transcenta Therapeutics. If you are interested in exploring capital partnership opportunities with us, please reach out via ir@transcenta.com to connect and discuss potential collaborations.

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