Araris Biotech
Araris Biotech AG is a Swiss ADC biotechnology company that develops proprietary AraLinQ® and Arastatin™ linker platforms for one-step, site-specific antibody-drug conjugate manufacturing, now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical following its 2025 acquisition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Araris Biotech does
Araris Biotech AG is a Swiss biotechnology company founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, headquartered in Au ZH, Switzerland. The company has developed a proprietary peptide linker technology platform for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), comprising AraLinQ® (a site-specific bioconjugation system targeting the Q295 residue on the IgG-Fc framework via transglutaminase) and Arastatin™ (a complementary linker-payload chemistry). Together, these platforms enable one-step payload attachment to off-the-shelf antibodies without re-engineering, producing homogeneous, stable, hydrophilic ADCs designed to improve therapeutic index over conventional conjugation methods.
Araris operates a B2B technology licensing and co-development model. Revenue is generated through upfront payments, research funding, milestone payments, and royalties tied to licensing its linker platforms to major pharmaceutical partners — including Taiho Pharmaceutical (now its parent), Chugai Pharmaceutical (up to USD 780 million in potential consideration), Johnson & Johnson, and Taiho Oncology. The company also maintains an internal pipeline: ARC-02 (CD79b-targeted, Phase 1 for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, first patient dosed June 2026), ARC-401 (Nectin-4, preclinical, solid tumors), and ARC-201 (NaPi2b, preclinical, solid tumors), with additional undisclosed targets in discovery. Following Taiho Pharmaceutical's full acquisition in March 2025, Araris operates as a wholly owned subsidiary building out Taiho's ADC pipeline while continuing to license its platform to third-party pharma.
Araris Biotech firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Araris Biotech
- Legal name
- Araris Biotech AG
- Website
- https://ararisbiotech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Araris Biotech AG is a Swiss ADC biotechnology company that develops proprietary AraLinQ® and Arastatin™ linker platforms for one-step, site-specific antibody-drug conjugate manufacturing, now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical following its 2025 acquisition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Araris Biotech industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC) Biopharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) & Antibody Conjugates (HLAAAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)
Keywords
Where Araris Biotech is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Araris Biotech business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Licensing and Milestone Payments: Araris licenses its proprietary AraLinQ® technology platform to pharmaceutical partners. The Chugai agreement includes upfront payment plus potential milestone payments and royalties on commercial sales, with total potential consideration of up to USD 780 million.
- Research Collaborations: Research agreements with pharmaceutical companies (Johnson & Johnson, Taiho Pharmaceutical) to develop next-generation ADCs using Araris' technology, generating revenue through research funding and potential future milestones.
- Internal Pipeline Development: Development of proprietary ADC candidates (ARC-02, ARC-401, ARC-201) towards clinical development with goal of eventual commercialization or out-licensing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Araris Biotech product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Araris Biotech develops proprietary peptide linker technology for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development, marketed as the AraLinQ® platform with the Arastatin™ linker-payload system. The technology enables site-specific payload attachment to 'off-the-shelf' antibodies in a single enzymatic step without requiring antibody re-engineering, producing homogeneous, stable, and highly soluble ADCs. The company licenses this platform to pharmaceutical partners and develops an internal pipeline including ARC-02 (Phase 1), ARC-401, and ARC-201.
Product overview
Araris Biotech is a spin-off from Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich pioneering a novel proprietary ADC-linker technology platform. Their core offerings consist of the AraLinQ® ADC Technology Platform and Arastatin™ Linker-Payload Platform, which together enable site-specific payload attachment to 'off-the-shelf' antibodies in one step without antibody re-engineering. The technology produces homogeneous, stable, highly soluble, and high-quality ADC products in a cost-effective manner. The clinical pipeline includes ARC-02 (CD79b-targeted, Phase 1 for non-Hodgkin lymphoma), ARC-401 (Nectin-4 multi-payload ADC for solid tumors), and ARC-201 (NaPi2b multi-payload ADC for solid tumors), plus undisclosed targets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AraLinQ® ADC Technology Platform Proprietary site-specific bioconjugation platform enabling payload attachment to a privileged attachment site on amino acid Q295 within the IgG-Fc framework using transglutaminase enzymes, allowing one-step conjugation to off-the-shelf antibodies for ADC development. Licensed to pharmaceutical partners for novel ADC therapeutics development.
- Arastatin™ Linker-Payload Platform Proprietary linker-payload technology used in combination with AraLinQ® to generate next-generation antibody-drug conjugates with enhanced safety and antitumor effects, providing exceptional bloodstream stability and controlled payload release inside cancer cells.
- ARC-02 CD79b-targeted antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; first clinical candidate generated using Araris' AraLinQ® and Arastatin™ platforms. Demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy versus Roche's Polivy in preclinical studies. In Phase 1 clinical development as of June 2026.
- ARC-401 Multi-payload antibody-drug conjugate targeting Nectin-4 for solid tumor indications; in discovery/preclinical development stage as a proprietary pipeline candidate.
- ARC-201 Multi-payload antibody-drug conjugate targeting NaPi2b for solid tumor indications; in discovery/preclinical development stage as a proprietary pipeline candidate.
Quantifiable outcome
- ARC-02 demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy compared to Roche's Polivy in preclinical studies targeting CD79b for non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Araris Biotech
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Araris Biotech technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Araris Biotech partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Taiho OncologyflagshipTaiho Oncology and Araris announced dosing of first patient in Phase 1 trial of ARC-02, a CD79b-targeted ADC for treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. ARC-02 is the first clinical candidate generated using Araris' proprietary AraLinQ® ADC technology and Arastatin™ linker-payload platform.
- Chugai PharmaceuticalcoreChugai exercised its option under a Research Collaboration and Option to License Agreement to license Araris' proprietary AraLinQ® linker-payload platform for developing novel ADCs against one target selected by Chugai. Araris will receive upfront payment plus potential milestone payments and royalties on commercial sales, with total potential consideration of up to USD 780 million.
- Johnson & JohnsoncoreResearch agreement with Johnson & Johnson to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates using Araris' AraLinQ™ technology. Enhanced safety and antitumor effects demonstrated in preclinical studies, representing further validation of the technology.
- Taiho PharmaceuticalflagshipTaiho Pharmaceutical fully acquired Araris Biotech in March 2025 to strengthen its biologics and ADC research and development capabilities. Araris operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical, with the goal of establishing a strong Taiho ADC pipeline using the AraLinQ™ technology.
- Chugai Pharmaceutical (Initial Collaboration)coreResearch collaboration and option to license agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical to generate novel ADCs using Araris' AraLinQ™ linker-conjugation platform with antibodies against targets provided by Chugai.
- Taiho Pharmaceutical (Research Collaboration)coreResearch collaboration with Taiho Pharmaceutical for the development of next-generation ADCs using Araris' innovative linker-conjugation platform.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Araris Biotech competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ImmunoGen: Pioneer in ADC technology acquired by AbbVie in 2024; developed the FDA-approved Elahere (mirvetuximab soravtansine) and operates a broad ADC pipeline. Comparable as a major ADC incumbent whose platform chemistry and clinical pipeline compete for similar oncology indications and pharma partnerships.
- Roche: Major pharmaceutical company with the approved Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin) CD79b-targeted ADC, which Araris' ARC-02 directly benchmarks against. Comparable as the incumbent in CD79b hematologic oncology whose clinical results set the efficacy bar for Araris' lead candidate.
- Seagen: Leading ADC company acquired by Pfizer in 2023, with four approved ADCs (Adcetris, Padcev, Tukysa, Tivdak) and a deep clinical pipeline. Comparable as a broad ADC incumbent whose multiple approved products set the benchmark for ADC commercial success.
- Daiichi Sankyo: Japanese pharmaceutical company with industry-leading DXd ADC platform and FDA-approved Enhertu and Datroway in partnership with AstraZeneca. Comparable as the dominant ADC platform incumbent whose linker-payload chemistry (DXd) competes with Araris' AraLinQ/Arastatin platform for pharma partnerships.
Direct peers
- Mersana Therapeutics: Clinical-stage ADC company developing Immunosynthen STING-agonist ADCs and Dolasynthen platform ADCs. Directly comparable as an ADC-platform biotech with proprietary conjugation chemistry and a clinical pipeline in oncology.
- ADC Therapeutics: Clinical-stage ADC developer with commercial-stage loncastuximab tesirine (CD19-targeted) and a pipeline including camidanlumab tesirine. Direct competitor in the hematologic ADC space and one of the few ADC pure-plays with validated clinical-stage assets.
- Heidelberg Pharma: German ADC company developing payloads and linkers based on amanitin toxin and licensing them to partners including Takeda and Eli Lilly. Comparable as an ADC-platform company with proprietary linker-payload technology and partnership-driven revenue model.
Emerging players
- Tubulis: European ADC platform biotech (Munich) developing stable linker chemistries and a pipeline of clinical-stage ADCs. Comparable as a next-generation ADC platform with proprietary conjugation chemistry targeting solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
- Bolt Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing Boltbody Immune-Stimulating Antibody Conjugates (ISACs). Comparable as an emerging antibody-conjugate platform company developing proprietary conjugation chemistry for cancer therapeutics.
- Pyxis Oncology: Clinical-stage ADC and immuno-oncology company developing Microtubule-Inhibitor ADCs and antibody-drug conjugates against novel tumor antigens. Comparable as an ADC-focused biotech advancing a clinical pipeline of antibody-based cancer therapeutics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Araris Biotech social profiles
Digital presenceAraris Biotech financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Araris Biotech leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Araris Biotech funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Araris Biotech M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Araris Biotech
What does Araris Biotech do?
Araris Biotech develops proprietary peptide linker technology for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development, marketed as the AraLinQ® platform with the Arastatin™ linker-payload system. The technology enables site-specific payload attachment to 'off-the-shelf' antibodies in a single enzymatic step without requiring antibody re-engineering, producing homogeneous, stable, and highly soluble ADCs. The company licenses this platform to pharmaceutical partners and develops an internal pipeline including ARC-02 (Phase 1), ARC-401, and ARC-201.
Is Araris Biotech a public or private company?
Araris Biotech is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Araris Biotech founded?
Araris Biotech was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Araris Biotech based?
Araris Biotech is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Araris Biotech make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Licensing and Milestone Payments are the primary driver. The others are research Collaborations and internal Pipeline Development.
Who are Araris Biotech's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ImmunoGen, Roche, Seagen and Daiichi Sankyo. Direct peers are Mersana Therapeutics, ADC Therapeutics and Heidelberg Pharma. Emerging players are Tubulis, Bolt Biotherapeutics and Pyxis Oncology.
Does Araris Biotech have an API?
No public API is recorded for Araris Biotech.
What industry is Araris Biotech in?
Araris Biotech's product category is Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADC) Biopharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAAAE, Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) & Antibody Conjugates, with a secondary code of HLAAAIAB, Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.