On August 28, 2026 DUALITYBIO Inc. (HKEX: 09606; "DualityBio" or the "Company") reported that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates ("ADCs") built on the Company’s proprietary DualityBio Unique Payload Antibody Conjugate ("DUPAC") platform.

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DUPAC is one of DualityBio’s four proprietary ADC platforms and is dedicated to payloads with novel mechanisms of action. It comprises multiple distinct payloads, each built on a unique antitumor mechanism, paired with optimized and compatible linker technologies designed for systemic stability and tumor-specific release. DUPAC payloads are engineered based on a common set of criteria: high potency, broad-spectrum activity across tumor types, a short systemic half-life permitting rapid clearance, and a bystander effect suited to heterogeneous solid tumors.

As topoisomerase inhibitor–based ADCs move into earlier lines of therapy across major solid tumor indications, patients who progress on this payload class represent a large and growing area of unmet medical need. The DUPAC platform is designed to retain antitumor activity in that setting and in tumors that are less responsive to topoisomerase inhibitor–based ADCs.

Under the terms of the agreement, Duality will generate and develop ADCs against Genentech defined oncology targets using payloads from the DUPAC platform. For the collaboration programs, DualityBio will lead discovery and early global clinical development. Genentech receives an exclusive, worldwide license to the collaboration ADCs, and will assume sole responsibility for further clinical development and commercialization after Phase 1a.

Under the agreement, DualityBio will receive an upfront payment of US$45 million and is eligible to receive more than US$1 billion in aggregate development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments across all programs, together with tiered royalties on annual net sales of approved products.

"As topoisomerase inhibitor–based ADCs achieve broad clinical success and move into earlier lines of therapy, a growing unmet medical need is emerging for patients whose tumors are resistant or refractory to this payload class. We built DUPAC to help address this challenge with a family of next-generation payloads designed to overcome resistance and enable each ADC program to expand the breadth of the underlying tumor biology. By combining DualityBio’s payload innovation and early-stage global clinical development capabilities with Genentech’s deep oncology expertise and worldwide development reach, we can advance these programs with greater speed and scale and bring differentiated medicines to more patients around the world," said Dr. John Zhu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DualityBio.

"By further enhancing targeted medicines like ADCs, we focus our innovation where the need is highest," said Boris L. Zaïtra, head of Roche Corporate Business Development. "Backed by Roche’s decades-long legacy in oncology, collaborating with partners such as DualityBio enables us to identify novel treatment options, such that we can tackle patients’ unmet needs in cancer care."

About DUPAC

DUPAC (DualityBio Unique Payload Antibody Conjugate) is DualityBio’s proprietary platform for ADC payloads with novel mechanisms of action, and one of four ADC technology platforms developed by the Company alongside DITAC, DIMAC and DIBAC. DUPAC encompasses several payloads, including DUP5, DUP9 and DUP10, each acting through a distinct antitumor mechanism. Preclinical data on DUP5-based ADCs and DUP9-based ADCs, including activity in tumor models relatively insensitive to topoisomerase inhibitor payloads and non-human primate tolerability, have been presented at multiple medical conferences, including AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2025 (Abstract 5454), AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC International Conference 2025 (Abstract B129 and Abstract B130), and AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026 (Abstract 2657).

(Press release, DualityBio, AUG 28, 2026, View Source [SID1234670391])