How ATB Therapeutics Aims to Improve Cancer Treatments

From June 22 to 25, Wallonia will be attending the BIO International Convention in San Diego. The event is one of the most important global gatherings for building partnerships in the biotech sector. Among the Walloon companies present in San Diego is ATB Therapeutics.

In January 2018, Bertrand Magy founded ATB Therapeutics alongside two other co-founders, Max Houry and Ludwig Camusot, whom he met at university. “After a great deal of reflection, we came up with the concept of a new molecule that could become a better cancer therapy and fit within the targeted therapies segment. When we launched the company, we only had an idea,” says Bertrand Magy.

“There was already a category of molecules combining a chemotherapeutic agent with an antibody. The antibody acts as a guided missile that recognizes the cell we want to destroy. However, this technology had several limitations, particularly regarding linker stability and toxicity. We therefore envisioned a molecule where a complete antibody could be produced with a toxic molecule directly attached to it in a single production step. This is known as recombinant production,” he explains.

During the company’s first year, Bertrand Magy and Max Houry worked together in a small laboratory with the ambition of proving the viability of their concept. They subsequently secured a first patent covering the production method. “ATB’s original invention was the ability to combine an antibody with a cytotoxic molecule — in this case, an enzymatic payload. It is a biological molecule with catalytic activity, meaning that once it has carried out its action, it can repeat it,” he adds.

In other words, ATB Therapeutics is an emerging biotechnology company developing atbodies, a new generation of armed antibody therapies based on a proprietary portfolio of differentiated payloads with unique mechanisms of action. By integrating these innovative payloads into advanced antibody formats, the company aims to deliver more precise and more powerful treatments for patients in oncology and autoimmune diseases.

Following the first patent, the founders were able to focus on scaling the company through several capital increases. In 2024, the company also strengthened its management team to bring in additional experience. “We brought in Mark Throsby as our new CEO, as well as Torsten Dreier, our CDO, who has spent more than 30 years developing antibodies,” adds Bertrand Magy.

It is with the ambition of showcasing ATB Therapeutics’ progress that Bertrand Magy and Max Houry will travel to San Diego at the end of June for the BIO International Convention. “We already attended a few years ago. It is an opportunity to reconnect with pharmaceutical companies, show them where we stand and where we are heading. It is also a chance to ask what they need to see in order to make decisions regarding new technological opportunities,” Bertrand Magy concludes.

Isabelle Anneet (AWEX)