Quest Diagnostics Inc. evidently found what it was looking for, as it agreed to acquire Haystack Oncology Inc. in an all-cash deal valued at up to $450 million with $300 million at closing and $150 million contingent on meeting specific milestones. Haystack focuses on minimal residual disease (MRD) testing, which can detect residual or recurring cancer in its early stages and help guide therapy decisions using blood samples rather than biopsied tissue. The companies expect the transaction to close before the end of June.
A few weeks after Gossamer Bio Inc. said it was pausing enrollment in a phase Ib/II study of CNS-penetrant BTK inhibitor GB-5121 in relapsed/refractory CNS lymphoma, citing the drug’s risk/benefit profile observed to date and a prioritization of resources, the company is dropping the drug’s development entirely.
Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University has described thiazolecarboxamidine compounds acting as NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
In the March 2023 issue of Science Immunology, researchers working at the City of Hope National Medical Center reported on the discovery the mechanisms by which the spliced X-box–binding protein 1 (XBP1s) served essential functions in the IL-15-dependent survival of natural killer (NK) cells. Since XBP1s is known to play critical roles in MHCII expression, the unfolded protein stress response, and ultimately tumorigenesis, the study provided deep insights into the understanding of NK cell biology with translational potential.
IOA-244 is a selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta (PIK3δ) inhibitor that is being tested in the clinic for lymphoma and solid tumors. Researchers from Ionctura SA and their collaborators tested IOA-244’s antiproliferative activity in MTT assays at 72 h.
Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. licensed its EZH2 inhibitor, SHR-2554, to Treeline Biosciences Inc. in a deal worth more than $700 million. Treeline will be granted worldwide exclusive rights to the lymphoma drug, except for greater China, in exchange for an up-front payment of $11 million, development milestone payments of up to $45 million, and milestone payments of up to $650 million based on annual net sales once commercialization begins.
C4x Discovery Holdings plc has advanced its MALT-1 inhibitor program into the preclinical candidate selection phase. Inhibition of MALT-1 has potential therapeutic applicability as a monotherapy for MALT-1-driven cancers and in combination with BTK inhibitors across multiple hematological indications, as well as broader potential in solid tumors and inflammation.
