Genentech doubles down on ADC-resistant cancers with $1B DualityBio pact

Biotech Genentech doubles down on ADC-resistant cancers with $1B DualityBio pact By Nick Paul Taylor Aug 28, 2026 4:30am DualityBio Genentech Roche Licensing deals Roche’s Genentech is paying DualityBio $45 million upfront for rights to antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) designed for the growing pool of patients who progress after treatment with the modality. The deal is worth more than $1 billion in potential milestones. Approved ADCs such as AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu and Gilead’s Trodelvy deliver cytotoxic topoisomerase inhibitors to cells that express certain receptors.

As the ADCs move into earlier lines of therapy—Enhertu and Trodelvy are both approved for first-line use—an unmet need is emerging among patients who progress on the treatments and are less responsive to topoisomerase inhibitors. Genentech has identified DualityBio as a company that could meet the need. The deal positions Genentech to access the Chinese biotech’s Dupac platform.

DualityBio designed the Dupac payloads to retain efficacy in tumors that progress on existing, topoisomerase-based ADCs. The biotech will generate and develop ADCs that deliver Dupac payloads to targets picked by Genentech. DualityBio will advance the candidates into the clinic, positioning the programs to benefit from China’s early-stage cost and speed advantages, and Genentech will assume sole responsibility for development after phase 1a.

DualityBio has published a series of abstracts on Dupac payloads over the past 16 months. Last year, the biotech unveiled two abstracts on its mRNA translation inhibitor DUP5, showing how the asset could improve on the efficacy of Blenrep, GSK’s BCMA-directed ADC. The company has also shared data on an ecteinascidin derivative, showing its potential to improve on TA-MUC1-targeting ADCs such as Daiichi’s DS-3939a and demonstrating that the DUP9 payload kills cells expressing EGFR and DLL3.

DualityBio plans (PDF) to file to test the TA-MUC1 ADC in humans next year. The biotech has a third Dupac payload, DUP10, but has yet to publish preclinical data on the molecule. DualityBio’s development of the Dupac payload adds a platform to a portfolio that has proven popular with Western drugmakers seeking ADC candidates.

In 2023 and 2024, BioNTech, GSK and BeiGene—now called BeOne Medicines—struck deals for DualityBio ADCs. While those deals focused on DualityBio’s topoisomerase platform, the biotech has begun to partner assets underpinned by its other technologies. Avenzo Therapeutics struck a deal for a HER3xEGFR ADC based on DualityBio’s bispecific platform last year, and Genentech inked the Dupac agreement this week.

DualityBio’s fourth technology is an ADC platform for autoimmune diseases. DualityBio Genentech Roche Licensing deals antibody-drug conjugates treatment-resistant tumors Biotech Deals