– Biotech expert to advise leadership and offer strategic insights –
SAN DIEGO and SUZHOU, China, April 28, 2025 — Adagene Inc. (“Adagene”) (Nasdaq: ADAG), a company focused on transforming antibody-based therapy discovery and development, has announced the appointment of Dr. John Maraganore as Executive Advisor.
Dr. Maraganore stated, “Adagene is overcoming a toxicity challenge with its unique masking technology, which delivers a checkpoint inhibitor selectively and conditionally to tumor cells. Their platform offers significant potential for improved immunotherapy with effective regulatory T-cell depletion, alongside monoclonal antibodies, bispecifics, T-cell engagers, and antibody drug conjugates. I am eager to guide and contribute to the Company’s progress, value creation, and positive impact on patients.”
Peter Luo, Ph.D., Co-founder, CEO and President of R&D at Adagene, added, “John Maraganore’s success in solving the RNAi delivery challenge, once deemed impossible, is a constant source of inspiration. He and his team successfully delivered RNAi therapeutics to specific tissue cells in the human body without degradation or off-target toxicity. This mirrors our approach with ADG126: safely delivering anti-CTLA-4 to specific T cells, reducing off-tumor toxicity, and ensuring inactivity during circulation until ADG126 reaches the tumor. While the modality differs, the core problem remains the same, and John’s guidance presents a tremendous opportunity for Adagene and our mission.”
Dr. John Maraganore served as CEO of Alnylam from 2002 to 2021, where he spearheaded the company’s global approvals and commercialization of four RNA interference therapeutic medicines. During his tenure at Alnylam, Dr. Maraganore also directed value creation initiatives, establishing over 20 major pharmaceutical alliances and generating over $25 billion in market capitalization.
As a partner or advisor with ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Ventures, Blackstone Life Sciences, Jefferies Financial Services, and RTW Investments, Dr. Maraganore also serves on the Boards of Directors of public and private companies and actively mentors life sciences CEOs.
Dr. Maraganore earned his B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Chicago.
About Adagene
Adagene Inc. (Nasdaq: ADAG) is a platform-driven, clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to revolutionizing the discovery and development of innovative antibody-based cancer immunotherapies. Adagene utilizes computational biology and artificial intelligence to create novel antibodies that address unmet global patient needs. The company has established strategic collaborations with respected global partners, leveraging its SAFEbody precision masking technology across various cutting-edge scientific approaches.
Fueled by its proprietary Dynamic Precision Library (DPL) platform, encompassing NEObody™, SAFEbody®, and POWERbody™ technologies, Adagene’s highly differentiated pipeline showcases innovative immunotherapy programs. The company’s SAFEbody technology is engineered to mitigate the safety and tolerability issues commonly associated with antibody therapeutics by employing precision masking to shield the binding domain of the biologic therapy. Through activation within the tumor microenvironment, this enables tumor-specific targeting of antibodies, while minimizing on-target off-tumor toxicity in healthy tissues.
Adagene’s leading clinical program, ADG126 (muzastotug), is a masked, anti-CTLA-4 SAFEbody that targets a specific epitope of CTLA-4 in regulatory T cells (Tregs) within the tumor microenvironment. ADG126 is currently undergoing phase 1b/2 clinical studies in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy, with a particular focus on Metastatic Microsatellite-stable (MSS) Colorectal Cancer (CRC). Validated by ongoing clinical research, the SAFEbody platform is applicable to a wide range of antibody-based therapeutic modalities, including Fc empowered antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and bi/multispecific T-cell engagers.
For more information, please visit: https://investor.adagene.com.
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SAFEbody® is a registered trademark in the United States, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and the European Union.
Investor Contacts:
Raymond Tam
raymond_tam@adagene.com
Bruce Mackle
LifeSci Advisors
bmackle@lifesciadvisors.com
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