[E-Daily Reporter KIM JI-WAN ] "Based on current developments, we expect more than 10 confidentiality agreements (CDAs) to be signed."

These are the words of Jeong Gwang-ho, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BL Pharmtech.

It has been about two weeks since “Bio USA 2026,” the world’s largest biotech event, came to a close. Meetings with global pharmaceutical companies that began at the event are rapidly progressing to the actual business development (BD) stage.

On the 7th, BL Pharmtech decided to pursue a Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) with a South Korean publicly listed new drug development company to jointly review its “Molecular Glue Degrader” platform. This is seen as evidence that Bio USA is evolving beyond a mere corporate promotional stage to become a starting point for substantive technology transfer (license-out) and joint development discussions.

At this year’s Bio USA, BL Pharmtech held technology briefings for global pharmaceutical companies and investors, focusing on “ML301,” its core pipeline—an anticancer drug based on the “Molecular Glue Degrader” platform. During the event, the company held a series of partnering meetings with multinational pharmaceutical companies, investors, and biotech firms, and immediately following the event, there has been a steady stream of NDA and CDA signings, data transfers, and follow-up meetings.

CTO Jeong stated, “Many companies showed interest in the platform’s scalability rather than ML301 itself,” adding, “Follow-up contacts have continued since the event, and the number of companies requesting data reviews is steadily increasing.” E-Daily covered BL Pharmtech’s post-Bio USA negotiation process through a phone interview with CTO Jeong Gwang-ho on the 7th.

Bio USA may be over, but negotiations are just beginning

The most notable change is that meetings are

now

moving into the actual contract phase. A domestically listed new drug development company, having been introduced to BL Pharmtech’s molecular adhesive technology at Bio USA, conducted a follow-up review and decided on the 7th to proceed with a CDA to begin a joint technical review.

While collaboration was initially expected to focus on small-molecule anticancer drugs, during the discussions, the parties agreed to also explore expanding the scope of cooperation to include ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates) and BBB (blood-brain barrier) shuttle platforms. The company explained that this stems from viewing ML301 not merely as a single candidate compound but as a platform technology.

Follow-up discussions with global companies are also gaining momentum. A Swiss firm specializing in investment and business development is currently proceeding with the process of introducing BL Pharmtech’s technology to European pharmaceutical companies. This firm has proposed that BL Pharmtech participate in Bio Europe in the second half of this year.

The company is also holding video conferences with a Japanese bio-CDMO firm to jointly develop an ADC platform and discuss the potential for developing new payload-based anticancer drugs. It was confirmed that B.L. Pharmtech held a Zoom meeting with the Japanese company on the 8th as well.

CTO Jeong explained, “The Japanese bio CDMO is a company that possesses both experience in ADC platform development and production capabilities,” adding, “It has the potential to become a partner with whom we can jointly build a new platform, rather than simply engaging in contract development.”

A Swiss biotech firm specializing in anticancer drugs conveyed its intention to engage in more active collaboration once preclinical data has been accumulated. The company expressed strong interest in the current level of technology but stated that it would proceed with full-scale business development discussions after securing additional preclinical results.

Expanding Beyond ML301 to Next-Generation Platforms

BL Pharmtech’s strategy does not stop at ML301 alone.

Currently, alongside the development of its existing small-molecule, molecularly targeted anticancer drugs, the company is separately developing new candidate compounds that can be utilized as ADC payloads and BBB shuttles. The strategy is to expand into various therapeutic platforms by targeting the same targets but using different delivery methods.

In particular, the BBB platform, which targets intractable cancers such as brain tumors, is an area of high interest among global companies. The company is also pursuing the establishment of a next-generation anticancer platform that integrates ADC and BBB technologies.

At this year’s Bio USA, BL Pharmtech met with representatives from a global big pharma’s biotech venture incubation program to discuss follow-up research. The company requested that BL Pharmtech secure data on indications with greater market potential, such as colorectal and lung cancer. BL Pharmtech plans to share its research findings during a visit to the big pharma’s U.S. headquarters this coming October.

CTO Jeong stated, “Our technology was selected because we presented new targets and scientific approaches that differ from existing methods,” adding, “Global big pharma places greater importance on growth potential and differentiation than on fully developed candidate compounds.” He continued, “The data we secure over the next few months will be a crucial turning point for our global business development.”

“One Licensing Deal Is More Important Than ‘40 Meetings’”

CTO Jeong also drew a line against the trend in the biotech industry of competitively publicizing the “number of meetings” held.

“Claiming to have held 40 or 50 meetings doesn’t mean much,” he said. “What matters is meeting companies that will actually lead to a license-out or joint development.”

He continued, “Multinational pharmaceutical companies take several months to over a year just to review a single set of data,” emphasizing that “the process itself—signing NDAs and CDAs, sharing data, and jointly validating the direction, as we are doing now—is the core of business development.”

Industry observers assess that, following Bio USA, BL Pharmtech is rapidly advancing follow-up discussions with global pharmaceutical companies, thereby increasing the commercialization potential of its molecular adhesive platform. In particular, analysts note that a structure is taking shape where technology validation and joint development are occurring simultaneously, as even a domestically listed new drug development company has joined the ranks of collaborators.

CTO Jeong stated, “We are currently in a phase of enhancing the platform’s competitiveness rather than rushing into licensing agreements,” adding, “Our goal is to grow into a global anti-cancer platform company that integrates molecular adhesives, ADCs, and BBB platforms, starting with ML301.”