{
  "id": 14850162,
  "title": "LigaChem Doses First Patient in Global Trial of Cancer-Targeting ADC",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/ligachem-doses-first-patient-in-global-trial-of-cancer-targeting-adc",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-16T02:52:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BusinessKorea",
    "slug": "businesskorea",
    "url": "https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=278966"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "LigaChem Biosciences initiated the first patient in its worldwide Phase 1/2 clinical trial for its Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, LCB02A, on October 15 at a North American clinical site, following FDA clearance in May. The global Phase 1/2 study, involving up to 191 patients with advanced solid tumors expressing CLDN18.2, aims to evaluate the drug's safety, tolerability, and recommended Phase 2 dose. Participating centers are located in North America and South Korea. LCB02A, built using LigaChem's proprietary ConjuAll platform, attaches CLDN18.2-targeting antibody to the cytotoxic payload exatecan, a Topo1 inhibitor. The ADC's high stability in blood and uniform drug-to-antibody ratio of four (DAR 4) are key features. No CLDN18.2-targeting ADC has yet been approved worldwide, with Astellas' monoclonal antibody Vyloy being the only approved product in this space. LigaChem plans to showcase LCB02A's preclinical results and clinical trial design at the upcoming ESMO 2026 congress in Madrid. CEO Park Se-jin emphasized the milestone's importance in diversifying the company's portfolio using its ConjuAll platform and Topo1 inhibitor payload.",
  "summary": "LigaChem Biosciences has begun global clinical development of its proprietary Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, LCB02A. The company announced on Oct. 16 that the first patient had been dosed in its global Phase 1/2 clinical trial at a clinical site in North A",
  "key_points": [
    "LigaChem begins global Phase 1/2 trial for CLDN18.2-targeting ADC LCB02A on October 15",
    "Study involves up to 191 patients with advanced solid tumors expressing CLDN18.2",
    "ADC uses LigaChem's ConjuAll platform with exatecan cytotoxic payload"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Advancing this proprietary antibody-drug conjugate into clinical testing positions LigaChem to challenge the current monopoly in the CLDN18.2 space through its specialized platform and cytotoxic payload technology.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}