Arbele Limited, a Hong Kong-based biotech company, was awarded first place at the 4th Biomedical Pitch Competition, hosted by the Boston Capital Investment Club (BCIC).
Selected from over 170 companies across the U.S. and Asia, Arbele stood out for its research in CDH17-targeted immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
Arbele is developing novel treatments for gastrointestinal cancers by targeting cadherin-17 (CDH17), a highly selective marker broadly expressed in digestive tract malignancies. Its lead candidate, Cabotamig (ARB202), is a novel first-in-class T-cell engager designed to bind CDH17 and CD3 for treating a large spectrum of GI cancers. The therapy has demonstrated high tumour target safety and survival outcomes in patients with heavily pretreated and drug-resistant tumours similar to other T-cell engagers in solid tumors in phase I clinical study.
In addition to cabotamig, the company is advancing multiple ADC programmes, including biparatopic and bispecific targets plus novel/dual payloads, with planned regulatory submissions in the US and China. Arbele’s differentiated platform, balancing tumour specificity with minimized off-target toxicity, was commended by the judges panel for its clinical potential and translational readiness.
The 2025 competition drew more than 170 applications, with 17 finalists selected. Arbele’s win marks significant international recognition for its CDH17-targeting platform and adds momentum to its fundraising, regulatory, and commercialization efforts.
Since its launch in 2022, the competition has facilitated in excess of $100m in investment deals.
Jim Cornall is editor of Deeptech Digest and publisher at Ayr Coastal Media. He is an award-winning writer, editor, photographer, broadcaster, designer and author. Contact Jim here.
