Laekna Inc. outlicensed select rights to LAE-002 (afuresertib), an oral pan-AKT kinase inhibitor licensed from Novartis AG in 2018, to Qilu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. under a potential ¥2.045 billion (US$287.23 million) deal.
Researchers at Keimyung University and its medical school generated various candidate quinazolin-4-one derivatives, the most promising of which inhibited HDAC6 with an IC50 of 17 nM, 19-fold more strongly than it inhibited the off-target deacetylase HDAC1.
Researchers from Nankai University and collaborating institutions have identified a novel proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) molecule that effectively and selectively degrades multiple cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) to inhibit the proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, offering a potential targeted therapy for this form of breast cancer.
Petra Pharma Corp. has identified phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase α (PI3Kα) E545K and H1047R mutant inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal naevi and skeletal abnormalities and PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS).
Taxanes such as paclitaxel are among the standard chemotherapies for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of this tumor type. However, numerous processes can contribute to paclitaxel resistance. As a next-generation drug that could help overcome such resistance, researchers at six universities in China, including Ningxia Medical University, examined the crystal structure of protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) and developed, in silico, a pharmacophore that could bind tightly to it. PRMT1, which acts as an epigenetic regulator, is overexpressed in various cancers and its levels correlate inversely with survival.
Chengdu Zeling Biomedical Technology Co. Ltd. has identified salts of deuterated compounds acting as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1; ARTD1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Blocking progesterone receptor (PR) activity has long been viewed as a possible approach to breast cancer prevention. Historically, most supporting evidence came from animal models, epidemiological studies or mechanistic pathway analyses. Now, a team at the University of Manchester has uncovered direct mechanistic and clinical evidence that PR antagonists can reprogram the breast tissue microenvironment, suggesting a novel avenue for reducing breast cancer risk in women.
Accutar Biotechnology Inc. recently presented preclinical data on AC-4847, a first-in-class PI3Kα-targeting degrader-antibody conjugate (DAC) designed for selective treatment of PI3Kα-driven cancers.
Prelude Therapeutics Inc. has outlined its plans to prioritize programs within its pipeline and announced an exclusive option agreement with Incyte Corp.
Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has divulged antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) potentially useful for the treatment of cancer. The ADCs comprise an antibody or antigen-binding fragment linked to a cytotoxic drug through a linker.
