Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical for a fully human VHH antibody molecule, supporting the development of innovative therapeutics in the neuroscience field.

Under the agreement, Biocytogen will grant Qilu Pharmaceutical non-exclusive rights to the VHH antibody molecule, enabling the Chinese pharmaceutical company to advance its research and development in line with its own R&D strategy. The future development modality will be determined based on the characteristics of the programme and therapeutic requirements.

The licensed molecule was generated using Biocytogen’s proprietary RenNano platform, which is designed to discover fully human VHH antibodies with favourable specificity, binding affinity and developability. The platform can also generate molecular building blocks for the development of VHH antibodies, bispecific and multispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and other innovative therapeutic modalities.

The collaboration expands the potential application of Biocytogen’s fully human VHH antibody assets across therapeutic areas, particularly neuroscience, where drug discovery and development face significant scientific and translational challenges.

Qilu Pharmaceutical has established capabilities spanning drug discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialisation, with investments across chemical drugs, biologics and innovative therapeutics. The partnership is expected to combine Biocytogen’s antibody discovery technologies with Qilu Pharmaceutical’s R&D and industrialisation capabilities.

Dr. Yuelei Shen, President and CEO of Biocytogen, said the collaboration could provide new possibilities for drug design in complex disease areas, noting the distinctive molecular features of VHH antibodies and Qilu Pharmaceutical’s capabilities in innovative drug R&D and industrialisation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Biocytogen will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible for additional milestone payments linked to specified development, regulatory and commercial achievements associated with related products. Other financial terms were not disclosed.

The agreement further highlights the potential of Biocytogen’s RenNano platform to support antibody-based drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas and development approaches.