Antengene Corporation Limited (‘Antengene’) announced ATG-101, a novel PD-L1/4-1BB bispecific antibody being developed by the company, has completed its quantitative and systems pharmacology (QSP) modeling that will provide data guiding the first-in-human study of ATG-101. Antengene plans to submit a clinical trial application for the first-in-human (FIH) study of ATG-101 in Australia starting in mid-2021, to be followed by submissions in US and China. QSP is a highly innovative methodology that has been used recently in drug discovery and development. QSP supports the pharmacological research of drugs through modeling and simulations, and quantitatively determines drug pharmacology and dynamical properties through integrated pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and statistical modeling, in providing evidential support to the design, decision-making, and dose selection in clinical trials1. In December 2020, Antengene entered into a strategic collaboration with Applied BioMath, LLC to initiate the pharmacology modeling of ATG-101 to determine the starting and efficacious doses for the first-in-human study of the drug candidate. Completing this QSP modeling will deepen their understanding of ATG-101's antitumor mechanism and provide them with the quality data that will enhance the first-in-human study of ATG-101. To date, Antengene has achieved multiple progress with the development of ATG-101, and is actively preparing to initiate clinical trials of ATG-101 in multiple countries and regions, including China, Australia, and the U.S. In China, Antengene has previously entered into a partnership with Wuxi Biologics for the chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) manufacturing of ATG-101 to further optimize and accelerate the development of ATG-101. ATG-101 is a novel PD-L1/4-1BB bi-specific antibody being developed for the treatment of cancer. ATG-101 can activate anti-tumor immune effectors by simultaneously blocking PD-L1/PD-1 binding and 4-1BB stimulation. In the presence of PD-L1 over-expressed cancer cells, ATG-101 showed a significant and PD-L1 crosslinking-dependent 4-1BB agonist activity, thus enhancing therapeutic efficacy, and mitigating hepatoxicity simultaneously. ATG-101 demonstrated potent activity in preclinical animal models, including strong tumor-suppressing effect in models of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor-resistant or -relapsed tumors. Meanwhile, the GLP toxicology study has produced results highlighting a favorable safety profile. At present, Antengene has already completed the preclinical study of ATG-101, and is actively preparing to initiate clinical trials of ATG-101 in multiple countries and regions, including China, Australia, and the U.S. Antengene plans to submit a clinical trial application for the first-in-human (FIH) study of ATG-101 in Australia starting in mid-2021, to be followed by submissions in U.S. and China.