LigaChem Biosciences Unveils Preclinical Data on Next-Generation BCMA ADC... IND Filing Planned by Year-End

[Financial News] LigaChem Biosciences has released preclinical findings for a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) it is developing as a treatment for multiple myeloma. The candidate is designed to address ocular toxicity, a key limitation of existing BCMA-targeted ADC therapies. The company aims to file an investigational new drug (IND) application by the end of this year.
On the 28th, LigaChem Biosciences said its U.S. subsidiary, AntibodyChem Biosciences (ACB), presented preclinical findings for a next-generation BCMA-targeted ADC candidate in a poster session at the International Myeloma Society (IMS 2026) held in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, from the 23rd to the 26th.
BCMA is a protein highly expressed on multiple myeloma cells and is one of the key targets for selectively attacking cancer cells. The therapeutic potential of this target was confirmed after the BCMA-targeting ADC Belantamab mafodotin was approved in the United States and Europe. However, Belantamab mafodotin has been flagged as needing improvement because ocular adverse events in clinical trials led to treatment discontinuation or delays and dose reductions.
To address these limitations, LigaChem Biosciences is developing a BCMA ADC that uses a next-generation linker and ConjuAll, its site-specific conjugation technology.
The lead candidate unveiled this time is LCB43. It was previously presented under the name LCB14-2524 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR 2026) conference in April. The candidate is characterized by the uniform attachment of an anticancer drug to an antibody designed to attack cancer cells. It uses the same linker-payload technology applied to LigaChem Biosciences' HER2 ADC candidate.
The preclinical study also compared two ADCs that attack cancer cells through different mechanisms alongside LCB43. All three candidates used the same BCMA antibody and linker structure, and showed similar abilities to bind to BCMA-positive cancer cells.
In animal studies, LCB43 demonstrated greater antitumor activity than an otherwise identical ADC whose antibody-mediated cancer-cell attacking function had been removed. In a multiple myeloma animal model, LCB43 also showed greater antitumor activity than a Belantamab mafodotin biosimilar at the same dose. In another animal model, it produced greater effects than the biosimilar even at a lower dose. At a high dose, both compounds induced sustained complete remission.
Toxicity studies in nonhuman primates showed that both LCB43 and another candidate, a TOP1 inhibitor ADC, had favorable tolerability.
Through this study, LigaChem Biosciences expects to tailor its ADC development strategy to patients' characteristics and treatment stages by using three drugs with different mechanisms of action. Based on the preclinical data, the company plans to move forward with the clinical development of LCB43.
Jeiwook Chae, senior vice president overseeing R&D at LigaChem Biosciences and head of ACB, said, "Although Belantamab mafodotin has demonstrated the therapeutic value of BCMA ADCs, frequent dose adjustments due to ocular toxicity and the burden of regular ophthalmic examinations remain challenges. Since LCB43 was designed to address these limitations based on a clinically validated linker-payload platform, we will proceed with the IND filing by year-end without disruption and move rapidly into global clinical trials."

[email protected] Jung Sang-hee Reporter