April Bio

What April Bio does

April Bio Co., Ltd. (에이프릴바이오 주식회사) is a South Korean clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2012/2013 and listed on KOSDAQ (ticker 397030), with its headquarters at Kangwon National University's College of Medicine in Chuncheon and a corporate research institute in Seoul. The company develops novel antibody-fragment-based therapeutics using two proprietary platforms: SAFA™ (anti-Serum Albumin Fab Associated), which fuses therapeutic effectors such as antibody fragments, cytokines, and hormones to serum albumin to extend plasma half-life to approximately 19 days (matching native albumin) while minimizing immunogenicity, and REMAP, which enables multi-target antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) for oncology and inflammatory indications.

The company's pipeline includes APB-A1 (CD40L, autoimmune/thyroid eye disease) out-licensed to Lundbeck in a deal worth up to $448 million and currently in Phase 1b; APB-R3 (IL-18, autoinflammatory/atopic dermatitis) partnered with Evommune with positive Phase 2a data and a planned subcutaneous Phase 2b; APB-R4 (IL-2R, autoimmune) in preclinical; and oncology assets APB-CyTE and APB-ADC, plus co-developed APB-R2 and APB-R6 with Severance Hospital for male infertility and endocrine disease. April Bio also filed international patents in June 2026 covering the REMAP platform and IBD novel substances.

The business model is partnership-driven and capital-light: April Bio does not commercialize products directly but generates revenue from upfront payments, R&D funding, and milestone payments under licensing and co-development agreements with global pharmaceutical partners, complemented by periodic Korean equity raises totaling approximately $47 million (2020–2021). Its go-to-market is focused on BIO International Convention–style partnering events, scientific publications, and direct engagement with large pharma and biotech firms to out-license platform technology and clinical assets. In June 2026 the company also secured a long-term strategic capital partnership with TKG태광 and IMM인베 to support its transition into a global platform biotech.

Name

April Bio

Legal name

에이프릴바이오 주식회사 (April Bio Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://aprilbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

April Bio is a South Korean clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing antibody-fragment-based therapeutics for autoimmune disease and oncology using proprietary SAFA half-life extension and REMAP ADC/AOC platforms, generating revenue via licensing deals with global pharma partners such as Lundbeck and Evommune.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Drug Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Immunology & Inflammation Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAD)

Keywords

• Antibody therapeutics
• Biologic drug development
• Platform licensing
• Autoimmune disease drugs
• Oncology therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

Chuncheon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Technology Transfer/Licensing: The company generates revenue through technology transfer agreements with global pharmaceutical companies. Notable deal include APB-A1 out-licensing to Lundbeck for up to $448 million, including upfront and milestone payments.
2. Co-research/Development: Collaborative research arrangements with partners on applications of the REMAP platform extended to siRNA and other modalities.
3. Global Partnering: The company pursues global partnering opportunities to showcase its REMAP platform technology to international pharmaceutical and biotech companies, seeking technology export opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

April Bio is a platform-based biopharmaceutical company that develops antibody fragment-based drug technology for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Its core offerings are two proprietary platforms, SAFA™ (anti-Serum Albumin Fab Associated) and REMAP, which it monetizes by licensing drug candidates and platform technology to global pharmaceutical partners through technology transfer and co-development agreements.

Product overview

April Bio is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative drugs based on proprietary antibody fragment-based technologies. The company operates two main technology platforms: the SAFA™ (anti-Serum Albumin Fab-Associated) platform and the REMAP platform. The SAFA platform enables the development of therapeutics with improved efficacy, safety, and extended half-life through albumin binder fusion technology, branded as SAFAbody™ products. The pipeline includes multiple drug candidates across various stages: APB-A1 (autoimmune, partnered with Lundbeck), APB-R3 (autoinflammatory, partnered with Evommune), APB-R4 (autoimmune), APB-CyTE and APB-ADC (cancer), and co-developed candidates APB-R2 and APB-R6 for other indications. The REMAP platform represents an additional technology being developed for future out-licensing opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAFA™ Platform Proprietary albumin binder fusion technology (anti-Serum Albumin Fab-Associated) that enhances efficacy, safety, and half-life of biologic drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer treatment. Licensed to pharmaceutical partners for drug development.
• SAFAbody™ Brand name for therapeutic product candidates developed using the SAFA platform, applying albumin fusion technology to develop improved drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
• REMAP Platform Additional proprietary platform technology developed for multi-targeting in solid cancer treatment and ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) development, with patents filed internationally and active technology export and licensing-out initiatives.
• APB-A1 SAFA platform-based drug candidate targeting CD40L for autoimmune diseases including thyroid eye disease (TED). Phase 1 completed and out-licensed to Lundbeck in August 2023 for Phase 1b clinical development.
• APB-R3 SAFA platform-based drug candidate targeting IL-18 for autoinflammatory diseases including Still's disease and atopic dermatitis. Out-licensed to Evommune (branded EVO301) with Phase 2a clinical trial initiated.
• APB-R4 SAFA platform-based drug candidate targeting IL-2R for multiple autoimmune diseases. Preclinical testing has been completed.
• APB-CyTE SAFA platform-based drug candidate for solid tumor cancer treatment.
• APB-ADC SAFA platform-based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for solid tumor cancer treatment.
• APB-R2 Co-development candidate targeting FSHR for male infertility, being developed in partnership with Severance Hospital.
• APB-R5 SAFA platform-based drug candidate for solid tumor cancer treatment, previously partnered with Yuhan Corporation with optimal candidate in development.
• APB-R6 Co-development candidate targeting TSHR for endocrine diseases, being developed in partnership with Severance Hospital.

Quantifiable outcome

• APB-A1 showed 2.06mm reduction in proptosis (eye protrusion) and 45% reduction in TSH-R-Ab after 24 weeks of treatment with no safety concerns
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LundbeckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer agreement for APB-A1, a drug candidate for thyroid eye disease (TED). Deal worth up to $448 million including upfront and milestone payments. Lundbeck is conducting Phase 1b clinical trials for APB-A1.
• EvommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvommune is developing EVO301, an atopic dermatitis drug candidate using April Bio's technology. Phase 2a trial showed positive results with statistically significant reductions in disease severity scores. Evommune is also exploring indications including ulcerative colitis and cardiovascular inflammatory diseases. Subcutaneous formulation for Phase 2b is being prepared.
• YuHan Yanghang (유한양행)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer and co-research agreement for REMAP platform, ADC, and new IBD substances. Agreement was terminated early in 2026 to focus on higher priority modalities including ADC and AOC. The early termination allows April Bio to concentrate on more competitive areas.
• Severance Hospital (세브란스병원)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with Severance Hospital on APB-R2 (for male infertility) and APB-R6 (for endocrine diseases) as part of government-funded research projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ABL Bio: South Korea-based biotech developing bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates for oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. ABL Bio is the closest Korean peer to April Bio, with a similar antibody engineering platform approach and partnership-based business model.
• AbCellera Biologics: Canadian antibody discovery platform company leveraging single-cell screening and AI/ML to discover therapeutic antibodies. AbCellera is a direct peer given its proprietary antibody engineering platform and partnership-based revenue model with major pharma.
• Adagene: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody-based therapeutics using its AI-powered Dynamic Precision Therapeutics platform. Comparable to April Bio's SAFA platform approach of engineering antibodies for improved drug-like properties.
• Harbour BioMed: Global biopharmaceutical company developing antibody therapeutics using its H2L2 and HCAb platforms for oncology and immunology. Harbour BioMed's platform licensing model and focus on autoimmune/inflammation indications aligns closely with April Bio's strategy.
• RemeGen: China-based biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody-based therapeutics including antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. RemeGen is comparable given its ADC and bispecific antibody pipeline with global out-licensing strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Genmab: Denmark-based international biotechnology company developing fully human antibody therapeutics using its proprietary platforms (DuoBody, HexaBody, etc.). Genmab is a broad incumbent with multiple approved antibody drugs and well-established pharma partnerships.
• Hanmi Pharmaceutical: South Korea's largest pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing novel biologics and long-acting protein therapeutics. Hanmi is a broad incumbent developing similar long-acting biologics in autoimmune and oncology indications.

Regional players

• Yuhan Corporation: Major South Korean pharmaceutical company and former April Bio partner for REMAP platform-based ADC and IBD candidates. As a regional incumbent and prior collaboration partner, Yuhan is comparable for understanding Korean biotech partnership dynamics.

Emerging players

• Compugen: Israel-based therapeutic discovery company using AI/computation to predict and identify novel drug targets and develop antibody-based immunotherapies. Comparable as a platform-based biotech with computational biology approach to antibody therapeutics.
• Evommune: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies for inflammatory and immunology diseases, currently partnered with April Bio for EVO301 (atopic dermatitis) using the SAFA platform. As a partner, Evommune provides direct insight into the value and application of April Bio's technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors21 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about April Bio