LigaChem Biosciences Presents LCB02A Data in Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers at ESMO 2026

Targeting CLDN18.2, where no ADC has yet been approved – preclinical efficacy confirmed as global clinical trial gets underway

■    Selectively kills gastric and pancreatic cancer cells with minimal impact on normal cells

■    A single dose suppressed tumor growth in animal studies, with a favorable safety profile

■    Global trial design unveiled, including patients whose disease progressed after existing therapy

DAEJEON, South Korea, October 26, 2026 – LigaChem Biosciences Inc. (KOSDAQ: 141080, “LigaChem”) today announced that it presented two posters on LCB02A, its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026, held in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27. The posters cover preclinical study results and the design of the company’s global clinical trial.

LCB02A is an ADC that targets Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2), a protein found in abundance in gastric, pancreatic and other cancers, and is built on LigaChem’s proprietary ADC platform, ConjuAll™. Because CLDN18.2 is plentiful on cancer cells but largely absent from normal tissue, it has drawn attention as a next-generation cancer target. One antibody therapy against CLDN18.2 – Astellas’ VYLOY™ – is currently approved, but no ADC, which links an antibody to an anticancer drug, has yet been approved for this target.

According to the preclinical data, LCB02A effectively eliminated CLDN18.2-positive gastric and pancreatic cancer cells at low doses, while having little effect on cells lacking CLDN18.2. Notably, normal blood cells that were damaged by the anticancer drug alone showed no meaningful effect when the drug was delivered as LCB02A. These results confirm the high tumor ivity of the ADC approach, in which the antibody delivers the drug only to cancer cells, suggesting the potential to reduce side effects.

In animal studies, a single dose of LCB02A suppressed tumor growth for about two months in gastric and pancreatic cancer models, and in the gastric cancer model tumors remained smaller than at the start of treatment even at a low dose. The drug also remained stably attached to the antibody in the bloodstream, and toxicity studies in rodents and monkeys showed a favorable safety profile.

The clinical poster outlined the design of the global Phase 1/2 trial, in which the first patient was dosed on October 15. Phase 1 will assess safety and determine the appropriate dose, while Phase 2 will evaluate efficacy across patient groups including gastric and pancreatic cancers.

A key feature of the design is a separate group for patients whose disease has progressed after treatment with an existing CLDN18.2 therapy. As these patients currently have no CLDN18.2-targeted follow-on treatment options, the trial will explore LCB02A’s potential as a new treatment alternative. The trial is underway in the United States, Canada and Korea, and the number of participating sites will expand to up to 20 in Phase 2.

“The data presented at ESMO show that LCB02A precisely targets and attacks cancer cells while remaining stable in the body,” said Sejin Park, Chief Executive Officer of LigaChem Biosciences. “With our global clinical trial progressing smoothly, we will work to demonstrate LCB02A’s differentiated competitiveness in patients as well.”