Chinese biopharmaceutical company Harbour BioMed (HKEX:02142) announced on Sunday that it has entered into a long-term strategic collaboration with Yantai Lannacheng Biotechnology Co Ltd, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of integrated theranostic radiopharmaceuticals for oncology.

Under the agreement, the two parties will use their respective resources and strengths to jointly advance the development of next-generation radionuclide drug conjugates (RDCs).

Compared with conventional radiotherapy, RDCs use tumour antigen-specific ligands to deliver radionuclides directly to tumour lesions for targeted radiotherapy, thereby effectively decreasing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

In contrast to antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the radionuclides in RDCs can also exert cytotoxic effects on neighbouring tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment, even if those cells do not express the target antigen. This mechanism offers a potential advantage in overcoming tumour heterogeneity and drug resistance, Harbour BioMed explained.

Additionally, the technology holds the potential to achieve theranostics -- integrating both diagnosis and treatment.

Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, Harbour BioMed founder, chairman, and CEO, said: "This collaboration will deeply integrate Harbour BioMed's expertise in antibody discovery with Lannacheng's strengths in radiopharmaceutical R&D and commercialisation, accelerating the development of more precise, effective and safe cancer therapies and bringing new hope to patients worldwide."