UTHealth Houston-Developed Cancer Therapy Platform Takes Major Step Toward Clinical Translation

Newswise — CrossBridge Bio, a biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates based on discoveries by researchers at UTHealth Houston, is taking a major step toward clinical translation after being acquired by Eli Lilly.

The dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate technology was originally created by the collaborative effort of two faculty laboratories at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston: Kyoji Tsuchikama, PhD, associate professor in the Texas Therapeutics Institute at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, and Zhiqiang An, PhD, director of the Texas Therapeutics Institute, professor of molecular medicine,  and the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry at McGovern Medical School, as well as the vice president of drug discovery at UTHealth Houston.

Built on the foundational discoveries from UTHealth Houston, CrossBridge Bio specializes in advancing antibody-drug conjugates that target cancer cells with greater precision. The antibody-drug conjugate delivers chemotherapy directly to tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. CBB-120, the company’s lead drug candidate, represents a rich pipeline of this drug class.

“This achievement reflects the extraordinary translational power of discovery at UTHealth Houston,” said Melina R. Kibbe, MD, president of UTHealth Houston and the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair. “What began as a fundamental scientific breakthrough now has the potential to transform cancer treatment and, over time, influence therapies for other diseases. It also underscores the power of partnerships between academic innovators and industry leaders to accelerate discoveries from the laboratory to patients worldwide.”

The acquisition underscores UTHealth Houston’s research enterprise and its role in accelerating breakthrough cancer therapeutics from concept to clinic.

“The technology created by Drs. Tsuchikama and An represents a new generation of antibody drug-conjugate therapeutic intervention. The collected efforts of the UTHealth Houston team, Houston-based Crossbridge Bio leadership, and the foresight of Eli Lilly will no doubt benefit cancer patients worldwide,” said Bruce Butler, PhD, vice president of research and technology at UTHealth Houston and professor of anesthesiology, critical care and pain medicine at McGovern Medical School.

CrossBridge Bio was founded in 2023 by Tsuchikama, An, and entrepreneur Michael Torres, PhD.

“We look forward to seeing how Lilly advances our new generation of dual-payload antibody-drug conjugates, including CBB-120, with the potential to meaningfully improve outcomes for patients with limited treatment options. At CrossBridge Bio, we believe our dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate platform is uniquely positioned to be transformative in oncology. I’m proud of how well our team has executed and advanced our platform in such a short time since the company’s founding. By becoming a part of Lilly, a leader in patient-focused therapeutic development, we are well-positioned to further accelerate the clinical potential of this approach,” said Torres, co-founder and CEO of CrossBridge Bio.

Tsuchikama is also a faculty member at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.