Ahead of the 5th World ADC Summit South Korea, we sat down with Shawn Seong, Chief Executive Officer at Shaperon, to explore his perspective on the evolving ADC landscape and what’s driving the next wave of innovation.
With a focus on emerging modalities, platform differentiation, and Asia’s growing role in the global ecosystem, Shawn shares a forward-looking view on where the field is heading.
Dive into his insights below and be sure to secure your pass to join Shawn this June in Seoul
Are we reaching a saturation point with Topoisomerase I inhibitors, and where do you see meaningful differentiation emerging?
Topo-I payloads (camptothecin and exatecan derivatives) have become a dominant ADC payload class, with multiple approved assets now on the market. Incremental entries without a clear differentiator will struggle — but the field is far from exhausted. Meaningful innovation is still possible through three main vectors:
- Dual-mechanism payloads: Compounds coupling Topo-I inhibition with G-quadruplex stabilization, such as ZBH-01, which suppresses hTERT expression and induces telomere shortening, demonstrate that layering complementary DNA-damage mechanisms can outperform single-target agents in chemo-resistant models.
- Immunomodulatory biology: Topo-I inhibition suppresses inflammatory gene expression at the transcriptional level, pointing toward IO-combination strategies and potentially non-oncology indications. This is an underexplored angle that goes well beyond cytotoxicity.
- Format innovation — nanobodies in particular: Nanobody-based drug conjugates offer smaller size, deeper tumor penetration, and faster clearance versus full-IgG ADCs, directly addressing the heterogeneous payload distribution and delayed toxicity that limit current Topo-I ADCs. Bispecific or multivalent nanobody constructs can also be tuned to exploit antigen density differences or microenvironmental triggers.
The core message: differentiation must come from mechanism stacking and delivery innovation — not from yet another camptothecin analog.
How would you compare ADC payload innovation strategies in Korea versus the US and Europe?
US & Europe
The US and Europe continue to lead in first-in-class payload biology, exploring RNA modulators, protein degraders, immune-stimulating payloads, and controlled bystander agents, backed by deep translational platforms within large pharma and well-capitalized biotechs.
Korea
Korea has taken a different but equally effective route: platformizing linker-payload technology and out-licensing it globally. Companies such as LegoChem Biosciences have signed deals worth billions of dollars with partners including Amgen and Sotio, licensing their site-specific conjugation platform rather than self-funding every downstream asset. Korean companies also generate a disproportionately high volume of ADC patent publications relative to country size, underpinned by this platform-first IP strategy.
The nanobody opportunity
Korea's CDMO infrastructure and manufacturing expertise are well-suited to the labor-intensive demands of nanobody library generation, humanization, conjugation, and fill-finish. This creates a real opportunity for Korean players to move into nanobody-ADC platforms ahead of US and EU competitors, who remain predominantly IgG-centric.
Korean biotechs have accelerated quickly in ADC partnerships, what strategic advantages is the region leveraging?
Korea's rapid rise in global ADC deal-making rests on four structural strengths:
- Clinical infrastructure: Korea ranks third globally in ADC clinical research volume, behind only the US and China. Trial costs are significantly lower than in the US or EU while meeting international quality standards, making Korea an attractive option for capital-efficient development.
- Platform IP and licensing model: Korean companies have built and patented linker-payload and conjugation platforms and then licensed these to multiple global partners — generating revenue from core chemistry and process know-how without having to fund every late-stage program themselves.
- Next-generation formats: Companies such as ABL Bio are advancing bispecific ADCs designed to target two antigens simultaneously, while others including Y-Biologics and Intocell are building pipelines around novel targets such as B7-H3.
- CDMO ecosystem: Korean CROs and CDMOs offer integrated ADC services from clone development through conjugation and fill-finish, positioning Korea as a manufacturing partner of choice for complex biologics.
For nanobody-ADC programs specifically, Korea's CDMO base is already well-positioned to provide end-to-end modular services, potentially anchoring a regional leadership position in this emerging format.
Which Asian ADC companies do you think are setting the benchmark globally right now, and why?
Asia is no longer a fast-follower region — it is now a central arena for first-in-class ADC innovation.
- Japan: Daiichi Sankyo has set a global benchmark through its DXd payload platform (Enhertu and a growing pipeline of seven ADCs in clinical development). Japan has already surpassed the US in annual ADC patent publications — driven by deep internal platform technology across Daiichi Sankyo, Astellas, Rakuten Medical, and Takeda, rather than by an out-licensing model.
- China: China holds approximately 40-42% of the global ADC pipeline and has triggered a series of major licensing deals with MNCs — most notably Merck's multi-program collaboration with Kelun-Biotech (up to US$9.3 billion in potential milestones across seven ADC candidates), as well as significant deals involving RemeGen, Hengrui, and others.
- Korea: LegoChem Biosciences, ABL Bio, and Celltrion (through partnerships) are increasingly prominent in global ADC deal-making, particularly around next-generation bispecific formats and linker-payload platform licensing.
The company or consortium that combines proven ADC payload expertise with nanobody multi-specificity and regional manufacturing capability has a credible path to defining the next Asian benchmark.
What should this audience be thinking about now to stay competitive in the next wave of ADC innovation?
Five priorities, with nanobody-based delivery as a cross-cutting theme:
- Move beyond payload cataloguing. Focus on biology-first concepts — dual-mechanism agents, immune-activating payloads, and synthetic-lethality combinations — rather than adding another linker to a standard cytotoxic.
- Invest in alternative targeting scaffolds now. Nanobody-based delivery is gaining real traction because of improved tumor penetration, modularity, and PK control. Building dedicated nanobody discovery and engineering platforms today positions you ahead of the next format shift.
- Own your translational toolbox. As payloads diversify, robust PK/PD, biomarker, and resistance-mechanism platforms become the key differentiator. For nanobody ADCs, this includes understanding tissue penetration dynamics and target shedding at a deeper level than is currently the norm.
- Leverage manufacturing strengths strategically. Position as a 'design plus manufacture' partner for global pharma — not simply a CDMO. Integrating discovery and CMC know-how is what captures value across the full chain.
- Build platform ecosystems, not isolated programs. Leading Asian ADC companies are constructing interconnected ecosystems of conjugation chemistries, payload libraries, targeting scaffolds, and IP strategies. Nanobody platforms should be embedded in these ecosystems, and not treated as standalone research projects.
Finally, what about the 5th World ADC Summit South Korea are you excited for?
I genuinely look forward to the summit and the 5th edition feels particularly significant to me. Over 300 specialists from discovery, CMC, clinical development and business development will be in the room together at a moment when the conversation in our field is finally catching up with the ambition.
What excites me most is seeing Korean companies evolve in real time: from linker-payload licensors into full-stack innovators. The conversations at this summit around dual-payload formats, bispecific ADCs, overcoming Topo-I resistance, and next-generation targeting scaffolds are precisely where the industry's next decade will be shaped.
Korea is not just talking about it. The regulatory reforms, the established CDMO ecosystem, and the clinical trial infrastructure are all in place. I expect this summit to sketch the outline of Korea's next strategic chapter: as a global hub not just for linker-payload platforms, but for the full stack of next-generation ADC innovation.
References:
[1] Recent developments of topoisomerase inhibitors: Clinical review — ScienceDirect (2024) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661824003761
[2] Dual targeting of topoisomerase I and DNA G-quadruplexes enhances senescence in colorectal cancer — Communications Biology (2026) https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-09801-w
[3] Topoisomerase 1 inhibition suppresses inflammatory genes — Science (2016) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad7993
[4] Nanobody-Based Drug Delivery: Emerging Strategies for Targeted Cancer Therapy — International Journal of Nanomedicine (2025) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12974148/
[5] The Next Wave of ADCs Could Become a Formidable Weapon Against Evasive Solid Tumors — BioSpace / CheckOrphan (2024) https://checkorphan.org/news/biospace-commentary-the-next-wave-of-antibody-drug-conjugates-adc-could-become-a-formidable-weapon-against-evasive-solid-tumors/
[6] ADC Patents: Global Geographical Trends — Beacon Intelligence (2025/26) https://beacon-intelligence.com/blog/adc-patents-global-geographical-trends/
[7] ADC Clinical Trials in Korea: Drug Conjugates and Value of Domestic CROs — IntoInWorld (2025) https://intoinworld.com/adc-clinical-trials-in-korea-conjugates-cro-value/
[8] Merck and Kelun-Biotech Exclusive License and Collaboration Agreement — Merck Press Release (2022) https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-kelun-biotech-announce-exclusive-license-and-collaboration-agreement-for-seven-investigational-antibody-drug-conjugate-candidates-for-the-treatment-of-cancer/
