SK Plasma, the South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has entered a joint development partnership with Samsung Medical Center spinoff AimedBio to advance antibody-drug conjugate treatments for cancer, marking another step in the rapidly expanding ADC market that analysts project will reach $112 billion by 2030.
The collaboration targets ROR1, a protein expressed across various cancer types, as the companies pursue what SK Plasma describes as part of a strategy to build a portfolio for treating rare and intractable diseases.
AimedBio brings three decades of research from Professor Nam Do-hyun, a brain tumor specialist, along with big data-driven target discovery platforms and preclinical evaluation capabilities using patient-derived models1. The Samsung Medical Center spinoff, founded in 2018, recently secured ₩51.1 billion in pre-IPO funding to accelerate its ADC pipeline development2.
Under the agreement, AimedBio will handle basic research and candidate exploration while SK Plasma advances clinical development and commercialization1. The partnership builds on AimedBio's earlier success transferring ADC candidates to U.S.-based Biohaven1.
The collaboration emerges as ADCs gain traction across the oncology landscape. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that damages healthy cells, ADCs deliver cytotoxic drugs directly to cancer cells through targeted antibodies, reducing side effects while maintaining potency12. Recent clinical successes include combinations like enfortumab vedotin with pembrolizumab, which more than doubled median survival in metastatic bladder cancer patients3.
Industry leaders anticipate continued innovation in ADC technology, with developments including bispecific ADCs targeting multiple antigens and novel payload technologies beyond traditional chemotherapy4. At the recent AACR 2025 conference, researchers highlighted ADCs as a key focus area, with companies like Mabwell presenting promising data on gastrointestinal cancer treatments5.
"Co-development with partners that have proven research expertise and technological potential like Aid Bio is of great strategic significance in expanding bio-new drug portfolios, including ADC," said SK Plasma CEO Kim Seung-joo1. The partnership positions both companies to compete in a market that Global Data forecasts will grow from approximately $14 billion in 2023 to $112 billion by 20301.
AimedBio CEO Heo Nam-gu noted that SK Plasma's clinical and business development experience "will increase the possibility of subsequent clinical trials and global commercialization of ADC new drugs"1.
