On Mar. 24, 2020, aTyr Pharma announced announced that the companyﾒs Hong Kong subsidiary, Pangu BioPharma, together with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been awarded a $750,000 grant to build a high-throughput platform for the development of bi-specific antibodies. Initially the research focus will be on diseases, including cancer, in which Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) overexpression is strongly implicated.

The two-year project is being funded by the Hong Kong Governmentﾒs Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) under the Partnership Research Program (PRP). The PRP aims to support research and development projects undertaken by companies in collaboration with local universities and public research institutions. The grant will fund approximately 50% of the total estimated project cost, with aTyr contributing the remaining 50%.