Chinese biopharmaceutical company Akeso Inc (HK:9926) announced on Thursday the successful enrolment of the first patient in its Phase Ia clinical trial for AK146D1, a bispecific Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) targeting Trop2 and Nectin4.

AK146D1 is Akeso's first bispecific ADC to enter clinical trials. It was recently approved for clinical trial by the US FDA, Australia's TGA, and China's NMPA.

The company says that Trop2 and Nectin4 are highly expressed in various tumour types but exhibit relatively low expression in normal tissues, making them ideal targets for ADC therapy. By targeting both Trop2 and Nectin4, AK146D1 aims to provide a broader therapeutic window and potentially overcome resistance seen with single-target ADCs, thus improving treatment efficacy.