Genentech agreed to pay DualityBio $45 million upfront for its DUPAC antibody-drug conjugate payload platform, with milestones potentially exceeding $1 billion. Under the collaboration and license deal, DualityBio will conduct discovery and early global clinical development through Phase 1 while Genentech takes over later development and commercialization. The agreement is designed to address resistance seen with topoisomerase inhibitor-based ADC payload classes. DualityBio will use DUPAC payloads and engineered linkers intended for stability in circulation and targeted release in the tumor microenvironment. Strategically, Roche’s selection underscores a continued shift in ADC development toward payload innovation and resistance-management rather than solely changing antibody targeting.