Uni-Bio Science Group and DotBio Announce Partnership to Co-Develop multi-specific DotBodies for people with retinal diseases

HONG KONG SAR – EQS Newswire – 10 March 2021 – A
fully integrated biopharmaceutical company — Uni-Bio Science Group Limited (the
“Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”; Stock code: 00690.HK)
is pleased to announce that the company and DotBio Pte. Ltd. (“DotBio”) formed
a partnership to co-develop next generation, best-in-class therapeutics for patients
with retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic
macular edema (DME), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and myopic choroidal
neovascularization (mCNV). These diseases are major causes of visual impairment
and blindness worldwide. The partnership will involve a close collaboration
between the two companies. Under the agreement, DotBio’s Hong Kong subsidiary, DotBioHK,
is responsible for generating multiple
multi-valent and/or bi-specific stabilized and humanized single-domain antibody
candidates for various targets using DotBio’s proprietary DotBody technology. Uni-Bio
is responsible for Chemical Manufacturing Control (CMC), Investigation New Drug
(IND) submission, clinical trial and commercialization.  DotBio will receive upfront and research
payments, and is eligible for milestones and royalties, with the option to
obtain additional stakes in these projects by participating in their later-stage
development.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the patient populations of
major eye diseases in China were much larger than those in the United States,
whereas the size of China’s ophthalmic drug market accounted for only one-fifth
of that of the United States in 2019, indicating a strong growth potential of
China’s ophthalmic drug market. Among the four types of retinal diseases,
prevalence of wet AMD increased more rapidly than the other three because of
aging population. The majority of patients with wet AMD experience severe vision loss in the affected eye within
approximately two years after diagnosis of the disease. The prevalence of wet AMD in China was
3.4 million in 2017 and is expected to reach 4.0 million in 2022 and 4.8
million in 2030. We believe that there is a significant commercial demand for
the treatment of Wet AMD. As people are gaining awareness on the importance of
eye examination, they can be given access to the life-changing, sight-saving
therapies. The unmet needs in the AMD market are set to be addressed in the
coming years.

“We are excited to collaborate with Uni-Bio to explore the
potential of our DotBody technology in the ophthalmology space. Our stabilized and
humanized VH domains, also known as “DotBodies”, are a superior alternative to
the camelid-derived VHH domains  (“nanobodies”),
by being generated synthetically without the use of animals, and being derived
from human VH domain sequences present in normal monoclonal antibodies. These DotBodies
have properties that make them superior in many ways compared to conventional
antibodies. They are the smallest known human antibody fragments that are still
capable of antigen binding with high affinity and specificity. They are also highly
modular, allowing the rapid development of multi-valent and multi-specific
therapies. We expect their use in a growing number of applications including
ophthalmology because of these unique properties.” said Dr. Ignacio Asial, CEO
and Founder of DotBio.

“Being competitive in the biotechnology industry requires
innovation across multiple verticals. We want to  combine different protein engineering and
formulation technologies together to create unique products with a competitive edge
in the clinic. In addition, Uni-Bio has a wealth of experience in fermentation
/purification/QA/QC of E.coli-expressed proteins. Therefore, we are capable to
“scale up” and commercialize products effectively. In the past, the Group has
also successfully launched ophthalmology biologic product such as GeneSoft™ eye
drop. We hope to replicate the same success in the next generation products
co-developed with DotBio.” said Mr. Kingsley Leung, Chairman of Uni-Bio Science
Group.