Nona Biosciences and Lonza Enter Strategic Collaboration to Develop Best-in-Class Single-Domain Antibody-Based BBB-Crossing Technology for CNS Diseases

This collaboration will leverage Nona Biosciences' proprietary Harbour Mice^® fully human HCAb platform to discover and develop next-generation single-domain antibody-based blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technologies. Leveraging the platform's proven ability to generate fully human HCAbs and VHH binders with exceptional affinity and developability, the partnership aims to establish a best-in-class BBB-crossing technology capable of enabling the delivery of a diverse range of therapeutic modalities into the central nervous system (CNS) and unlocking new opportunities in CNS drug development and technology licensing. As part of the collaboration, Lonza's protein development expertise, world-leading GS Gene Expression System^® and GlycoConnect^® bioconjugation technology will complement Nona's platform by supporting the optimization and broader application of selected BBB-crossing candidates.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nona is entitled to receive upfront and option payments from Lonza. The parties will also share revenues generated from future licensing agreements pursuant to the collaboration.

Dr. Jingsong Wang, Chairman of Nona Biosciences, commented: "This partnership reflects validates Nona's platform and strategic focus in next-generation delivery technologies. Lonza's global reach, regulatory expertise, and commercial manufacturing capabilities will help accelerate the advancement of our BBB-crossing-technology. Beyond technology development, the collaboration creates opportunities for licensing, commercialization and long-term value creation, while strengthening our position in the CNS delivery space and supporting better outcomes for patients."

Dr. Di Hong, Chief Executive Officer of Nona Biosciences, added: "We are excited to partner with Lonza to develop and commercialize best-in-class BBB-crossing technologies for CNS diseases. This collaboration underscores the power and versatility of our HCAb Harbour Mice^® platform and its ability to generate differentiated, fully human single-domain binders that can tackle the most challenging delivery barriers in drug development. By combining our platform with Lonza's services and development and manufacturing expertise, we are confident to offer next-generation BBB-crossing solutions that can unlock new treatment paradigms for patients suffering from devastating CNS disorders."

Peter Droc, Head of Licensing, Lonza, commented: "With the acquisition of IP rights to Nona's BBB-crossing technology and through our continued collaboration, we are immediately enabling our customers to translate promising CNS assets into viable therapeutics. By combining this with flexible CDMO services, we allow partners to engage with us at any stage of their journey – from technology licensing to fully integrated development and commercial manufacturing – reducing complexity and helping accelerate the path to patients."

About Nona Biosciences

Nona Biosciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of HBM Holding Limited (HKEX:02142), is a global biotechnology company committed to advancing biotherapeutic innovation through cutting-edge technology platforms and integrated solutions. Nona supports programs with its I to I^® framework, from early-stage ideas through preclinical research and advancement toward IND and early clinic, spanning target validation and antibody discovery to early development.

Nona's proprietary Harbour Mice^® technology platform generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in classical two light and two heavy chain (H2L2) format, and heavy chain-only (HCAb) format. The HCAb Harbour Mice^® is the world's first fully human HCAb transgenic mouse with clinical validation. This unique platform offers exceptional versatility for diverse applications using fully human VH single-domain antibodies as a plug-and-play system, including bispecific antibodies, multi-specific antibodies, CAR-T therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), mRNA-based therapeutics, and more.

By integrating Harbour Mice^®, single-B cell screening technology, NonaCarFx™ (a direct CAR-function-based screening platform), Hu-mAtrIx™ (an AI-driven drug discovery platform), Modalities-on-Demand^® (a next-generation modalities solution), and end-to-end preclinical drug development services, Nona Biosciences is dedicated to driving the global invention of transformative next-generation drugs. For more information, please visit: www.nonabio.com.

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SOURCE Nona Biosciences