February 24, 2026 19:30 ET | Source: Junshi Biosciences
SHANGHAI, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd (Junshi Biosciences, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, announced that the company has entered into the strategic collaboration with Antengene Corporation Limited (“Antengene”, SEHK: 6996.HK). Under the collaboration, the parties will jointly evaluate the synergistic therapeutic potential of Junshi Biosciences’ JS207, a recombinant humanized anti-PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, in combination with Antengene’s ATG-037, an oral small-molecule CD73 inhibitor, in patients with solid tumors in Chinese Mainland, with the goal of identifying clinical signals across multiple tumor types.
JS207, Junshi Biosciences’ independently developed recombinant humanized anti-PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, has demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity and a manageable safety profile in both preclinical and clinical studies. JS207’s preclinical studies demonstrated its robust anti-tumor efficacy in multiple tumor models and supported a differentiated mechanism of action, with VEGFA shown to enhance JS207’s antigen binding activity, T-cell activation potency and internalization of cell-surface PD-1.
In a poster presented at ESMO Asia 2025, JS207 monotherapy showed encouraging efficacy across solid tumors. 62 patients with PD-L1 positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received JS207 monotherapy as first-line treatment, and achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 58.1% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 87.1%. Clinical activity has also been observed in additional tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), supporting the potential of PD-1/VEGF dual targeting across multiple tumor settings.
To date, JS207 has 11 ongoing phase 2 clinical studies, exploring its use in combination with chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies (mAb), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other drugs in NSCLC, colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, liver cancer and other tumor types, with nearly 500 patients enrolled. Based on the accumulated data from these studies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the investigational new drug (IND) application, allowing Junshi Biosciences to initiate an open-label, two-arm, randomized, active-controlled, Phase 2/3 clinical study comparing JS207 to nivolumab for the neoadjuvant treatment of patients with stage 2/3, resectable, actionable genomic aberration (AGA)-negative NSCLC.
ATG-037, Antengene’s orally administered small-molecule CD73 inhibitor, offers significant advantages over anti-CD73 mAbs. In preclinical studies, ATG-037 demonstrated stronger inhibition of cell-surface CD73 enzymatic activity and overcame the “hook effect” commonly observed with antibody-based approaches. In addition, ATG-037’s higher tissue penetration compared with antibodies may facilitate complete CD73 inhibition at the cellular level.
ATG-037 has demonstrated encouraging clinical activity in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with checkpoint inhibitor-resistant melanoma and NSCLC, based on the latest data presented at Antengene’s R&D Day in November 2025. In the ongoing Phase 1/1b STAMINA-01 study, the combination achieved an ORR of 33.3% with a DCR of 100% in patients with CPI-resistant melanoma, and an ORR of 21.4% with a DCR of 71.4% in patients with CPI-resistant NSCLC. The dataset was generated in Australia in patients with CPI-refractory solid tumors, with pembrolizumab and/or nivolumab as the predominant prior anti-PD-1 therapies, and more than 70% of melanoma patients were refractory to both anti-PD-1 mAb and anti-CTLA-4 mAb (ipilimumab). These results support ATG-037’s clinically meaningful activity across multiple tumor types, particularly in patients with prior immunotherapy resistance. Importantly, ATG-037 has demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in combination treatment, with no new or unexpected safety signals observed, including in patients receiving long-term therapy. Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events only occurred in 7.9% of patients. Responses have also shown encouraging durability, including a patient who achieved a complete response and has remained on study for over three years and is currently receiving ATG-037 monotherapy for more than a year, as well as multiple patients with durations of response exceeding 12 months. These data support ATG-037’s potential role as a backbone agent for next-generation immuno-oncology combination regimens.
The scientific rationale for the collaboration is based on the complementary and potentially synergistic mechanisms of CD73 inhibition and dual PD-1/VEGF targeting. CD73 is recognized as a key regulator of immune suppression and angiogenesis within the tumor microenvironment through the generation of adenosine, which can dampen anti-tumor immune responses. In both clinical and preclinical settings, CD73 inhibitors have demonstrated meaningful synergy with anti-PD-1 mAbs. In addition, CD73 activity has been shown to promote angiogenesis, including through upregulation of VEGF signaling, and may contribute to the development of resistance to anti-VEGF therapies. Given the broad relevance of immune suppression, angiogenesis and adenosine signaling across solid tumors, this combination strategy has the potential to be applicable across multiple tumor types. Taken together, these observations suggest that combining CD73 blockade with PD-1/VEGF-directed approaches has the potential to enhance and sustain therapeutic effects. Together, the combination of ATG-037 with JS207 represents a potential “triple-axis” approach that simultaneously modulates immune checkpoint signaling, angiogenesis, and the adenosine pathway. With the potential to deepen responses while maintaining a favorable safety profile, the combination of ATG-037 with JS207 may further improve the durability of benefit and may translate into improved overall survival.
We look forward to the close collaboration between Junshi Biosciences and Antengene, leveraging their respective expertise in target biology and clinical development to accelerate the evaluation of JS207 in combination with ATG-037 across multiple solid tumor types, with the goal of identifying clinical signals and delivering more innovative treatment options for patients in Chinese Mainland.
About JS207
JS207, a recombinant humanized anti-PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, was independently developed by Junshi Biosciences for the treatment of advanced malignant tumors. To date, JS207 has been approved for conducting phase 2/3 clinical study, and it has 11 ongoing phase 2 clinical studies, exploring its use in combination with chemotherapy, mAbs, ADCs and other drugs in NSCLC, colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, liver cancer and other tumor types. Preclinical results of JS207 have been published in Frontiers in Immunology, while early-stage clinical data were first presented in a poster session at ESMO ASIA 2025.
JS207 can simultaneously bind to PD-1 and VEGFA with high affinity, effectively blocking the binding of PD-1 to PD-L1 and PD-L2 while also inhibiting the binding of VEGF to its receptor. JS207 has the efficacy of both immunotherapeutic drugs and anti-angiogenic drugs. Through the neutralization of VEGF, JS207 inhibits the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells, improves the tumor microenvironment, and increases the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment, thereby achieving better anti-neoplasm activity.
JS207’s design is based on the high-affinity, clinically proven and differentiated anti-PD-1 drug, toripalimab as the backbone. The anti-PD-1 moiety of JS207 adopts a Fab structure to maintain binding affinity to PD-1, thereby attaining better enrichment in the tumor microenvironment. The anti-VEGF moiety has a binding affinity for human vascular endothelial growth factor that is comparable to that of bevacizumab. In non-clinical in vitro cytological tests, compared with the combination of an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody and a VEGF monoclonal antibody, a bispecific antibody simultaneously targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and VEGF demonstrated significantly enhanced PD-1 antigen binding and internalization, as well as synergistic enhancement of the NFAT signaling pathway, thereby better activating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.
About Junshi Biosciences
Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R&D pipeline comprising over 50 drug candidates, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Five of the company’s products have received approvals in China and international markets, one of which is toripalimab, China’s first domestically produced and independently developed anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Toripalimab has been approved in over 40 countries and regions including China, the US, and Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Junshi Biosciences actively shouldered the social responsibilities of a Chinese pharmaceutical company through its involvement in developing etesevimab, MINDEWEI®, and other novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
With a mission of “providing patients with world-class, trustworthy, affordable, and innovative drugs,” Junshi Biosciences is “In China, For Global.” At present, the company boasts approximately 2,500 employees in the United States (Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Guangzhou, etc.). For more information, please visit: http://www.junshipharma.com.
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