What AB Studio does

AB Studio (Ab Studio Inc., dba Antibody Studio) is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hayward, California (San Francisco Bay Area). The company focuses on the rapid discovery, engineering, and optimization of complex therapeutic antibodies — bispecific, trispecific, and multi-specific formats — for biopharma and pharmaceutical clients. Its technology stack combines AI-assisted Computer Aided Antibody Design (CAAD) with traditional hybridoma, phage display, and B-cell technologies, layered over seven-plus proprietary platforms: FETA (Fc-enabled T-cell activation engaging T, macrophage, and NK cells), CATA (catalytic antibodies for protein aggregation diseases), GETA (VHH-directed AAV delivery for gene therapy), Brain Shuttle (nanobody BBB penetration for CNS), Imbalanced Bispecific, Serial Internalizing, Humanized VHH Discovery, and ETYY (heterodimer formation/manufacturability), plus Abprotac for targeted protein degradation. The team's work has produced multiple clinical-stage assets, including GB261 (CD20/CD3, Phase 2 B-NHL; Phase 1 autoimmune), GB263 (EGFR/c-Met/c-Met, Phase 1/2 NSCLC), and contributed to BMS's Tau program (Phase 2) and Novo Nordisk's ATTR program (Phase 3, coramitug), as well as ABS-VIR-001 (an anti-COVID-19 tri-specific).

The company operates a hybrid business model. The first stream is platform and asset licensing — AB Studio has licensed more than six bispecific antibody assets to biopharmas including Genor Biopharma/Candid Therapeutics (GB261/CND261), Eddingpharm (GB263), and China Resources Biopharma (ABS-VIR-001). The second stream is contract research and service revenue, with over 200 partner/service projects completed providing antibody discovery, engineering, humanization, 3D modeling, production, and biophysical/biological assay services to biotech and pharma clients. Distribution is direct B2B field sales, supported by participation in major industry conferences (JP Morgan Healthcare, AACR, PEGS, BIO), peer-reviewed publications, and a professional website. The headcount is 11-50 with approximately 70% PhD/MD scientists, led by founder and CEO Yue Liu, PhD, who is the named inventor on most clinical-stage programs. IP strategy is active, with US and Chinese patent grants on the Catabody and ETYY platforms in 2025.

Name

AB Studio

Legal name

Ab Studio Inc.

Website

https://antibodystudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AB Studio is a Bay Area biotech founded in 2017 that develops complex therapeutic antibodies — bispecific, trispecific, and multi-specific — using AI-assisted CAAD design and proprietary platforms (FETA, CATA, Brain Shuttle, ETYY, GETA), licensing assets to biopharmas and delivering CRO discovery and engineering services to pharma clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Therapeutic Antibody Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Bispecific & Multispecific Antibodies (HLAAAAAF), Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics (HLAAAAAH), Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Therapeutic antibody development
• Bispecific antibody engineering
• Antibody discovery services
• Computer aided antibody design
• Antibody licensing platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayward

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensing of Bi/Tri-specific Antibody Assets: AB Studio licenses its proprietary bi-specific and tri-specific antibody assets to biopharma companies. Multiple assets have been licensed including GB261 to Genor Biopharma/Candid Therapeutics and GB263 to Eddingpharm.
2. Partner/Service Projects (CRO Services): The company completes over 200 partner and service projects annually providing antibody discovery, engineering, humanization, and optimization services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AB Studio develops complex therapeutic antibodies by combining AI/Computer Aided Antibody Design (CAAD) with traditional hybridoma and phage display technologies. The company licenses proprietary bi/tri-specific antibody assets (such as GB261 and GB263) to biopharma partners and delivers contract research services spanning antibody discovery, engineering, humanization, 3D modeling, production, and biophysical/biological characterization.

Product overview

AB Studio is a biotechnology company offering a portfolio of proprietary therapeutic antibody technology platforms combined with contract research and development services. The core platforms include FETA (Fc-enabled T cell activation), CATA (catalytic antibody for protein aggregation disorders), GETA (VHH-directed AAV delivery), Abprotac, Brain Shuttle (BBB penetration), Imbalanced Bispecific, Serial Internalizing, Humanized VHH Discovery, and ETYY platforms. These underlying technology platforms are complemented by CAAD (Computer Aided Antibody Design) computational tools and a comprehensive suite of services spanning antibody discovery, engineering, 3D modeling, production, and biological/biophysical characterization. The company operates a hybrid business model combining platform licensing with service partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Candid TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2024Research collaboration to discover and develop novel T cell engagers (TCE) for autoimmune indications. This partnership builds on the existing licensing of GB261/CND261 (Fc-enabled CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody) which is in Phase I/II for B-NHL and Phase I for autoimmune diseases.
• China Resources BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2022Partnered with China Resources Biopharma for ABS-VIR-001, the world's first anti-COVID19 tri-specific antibody candidate.
• IntoCellminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2021Research collaboration partnership for antibody development.
• Genor BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed GB261 (Fc-enabled CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody invented at Ab Studio) with Phase 2 data in B-NHL. This asset was subsequently licensed to Candid Therapeutics.
• EddingpharmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed EGFR/c-Met/c-Met tri-specific antibody program (GB263, Phase I/II for NSCLC).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adagene: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody-based therapeutics with proprietary bispecific and masking platforms. Comparable as a bispecific antibody platform company with partnered clinical assets.
• Zymeworks: Bispecific and multispecific antibody platform company with multiple clinical-stage assets. Directly comparable to AB Studio's focus on bispecific antibody engineering and licensing model with major pharma partners.
• Compass Therapeutics: Clinical-stage bispecific antibody developer with platforms spanning multiple indications. Comparable to AB Studio's bispecific antibody focus and clinical-stage partnership model.
• Harpoon Therapeutics: Developer of T cell engager platforms (TriTAC) for oncology and infectious disease, acquired by Merck in 2024. Highly comparable to AB Studio's FETA T cell activation platform and TCE focus.
• Numab Therapeutics: Multi-specific antibody engineering platform with proprietary technology for building tri-specific antibodies. Closely comparable to AB Studio's multispecific antibody focus and licensing approach.
• Xencor: Developer of the XmAb bispecific antibody engineering platform with multiple clinical assets and pharma partnerships. Closely comparable business model combining proprietary bispecific platform technology with licensing to biopharma.
• AbCellera Biologics: AI-powered antibody discovery platform with partnered programs in the clinic. Highly comparable to AB Studio as both monetize proprietary antibody discovery/engineering platforms through licensing partnerships with biopharma.

Emerging players

• Maverick Therapeutics: Developer of T cell engagers (COBRA platform) for solid tumors, acquired by Takeda in 2024. Comparable emerging player in the TCE space that overlaps with AB Studio's FETA platform technology.

Broad incumbents

• GenScript: Global biotech providing antibody discovery services, gene synthesis, and biologics manufacturing. Comparable as an antibody CRO service provider with overlapping customer base to AB Studio.
• WuXi Biologics: Global leader in biologics CRO/CDMO services with broad antibody discovery, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities. Comparable to AB Studio's CRO service business and bispecific antibody platforms, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about AB Studio