South Korean biotech SK Biopharmaceuticals (KRX:326030) announced on Monday that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with ProEn Therapeutics, a South Korea-based biotech company focused on advancing oncology treatments.

This collaboration is aimed at further extending SK Biopharmaceuticals' oncology research capability and expanding its range of radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT).

The joint research builds on a series of SK Biopharmaceuticals' global strategic partnerships, including the in-licensing of a radiopharmaceutical compound, and a supply agreement to secure actinium-225, an alpha-particle emitting radioisotope, since the company unveiled its 'RPT Roadmap'.

SK Biopharmaceuticals will leverage ProEn Therapeutics' ArtBody platform, a dual-target binding technology that incorporates small proteins to identify and target specific tumour antigens -- enhancing tumour selectivity -- for the development of potential cancer treatments, while minimising damage to healthy tissues. ArtBody, which has intrinsic advantages of high stability and structural robustness, can be mass-produced using bacteria, making it ideal for industrial applications.