Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Yuhan Corp., Samsung Biologics and Celltrion are among South Korea’s major drug and biotech companies heading to San Diego ahead of the American Association for Cancer Research’s AACR 2026 meeting. The companies plan to present early-stage results on next-generation cancer drug candidates, highlight emerging trends and seek opportunities for future licensing deals.
Industry officials said on April 17 that AACR, which runs through April 22 (local time), is considered one of the world’s three major cancer meetings along with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the European Society for Medical Oncology. AACR is known for releasing preclinical and early clinical findings and is widely viewed as a venue to gauge potential blockbuster candidates and technology-transfer prospects.
This year’s meeting is expected to spotlight next-generation modalities including antibody-drug conjugates, CAR-T therapies, radiopharmaceuticals and RNA-based treatments.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical will present nine preclinical studies, the most among Korean companies. Its lineup spans targeted therapies and newer platforms, including an EZH1/2 dual inhibitor combined with a DNA damage inducer, a p53 mRNA cancer therapy, a 4-1BB x PD-L1 bispecific antibody and a B7H3 x PD-L1 bispecific ADC.
Yuhan will also take the AACR stage, releasing research aimed at expanding the intersection of targeted and immuno-oncology. With AACR often serving as a starting point for licensing talks and co-development discussions, the move is seen as part of its push to broaden global partnerships.
Samsung Bioepis will present preclinical data on SBE303, an ADC candidate that is its first new-drug pipeline, positioning it as a developer of original medicines. The company recently received U.S. FDA approval of an investigational new drug application for a Phase 1 trial of a nectin-4-targeting ADC.
Celltrion Pharm will introduce two new candidates using its dual-payload ADC platform, AD2C. The design aims to reduce dose-limiting toxicity while improving efficacy, as the company seeks differentiation in the next-generation oncology market.
Several biotechs are also drawing attention with oral presentations. Verismo Therapeutics, a unit of HLB Group, will present interim Phase 1 results for SynKIR-110, a CAR-T candidate for solid tumors. It will also disclose preclinical results for SynKIR-310, a CAR-T candidate for blood cancers, which the company said was the only comparator group to record a 100% survival rate.
Rznomics will give an oral presentation of interim clinical results for RZ-001, a gene therapy for liver cancer. The approach targets telomerase mRNA to induce both cancer cell death and immune-cell infiltration, and the company said it will be the first disclosure of proof-of-concept data for its RNA editing and replacement technology.
A South Korean pharmaceutical industry official said the meeting is a chance to show how competitive Korean oncology platforms are on the global stage. “Preclinical and early clinical stages carry high risk, but if successful, they can lead to technology exports and a reassessment of corporate value,” the official said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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