Agora Open Science Trust’s wholly owned open science drug development company, M4K Pharma, has nominated M4K-2009 as the lead development candidate for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The ALK2 inhibitor program is now advancing into IND-enabling studies for this pediatric brain cancer.

Targeted therapies and immunotherapies continue to show better results than chemotherapy in investigator-initiated and company-sponsored cancer trials, and newer options demonstrate improvements over older ones, supporting potential shifts in how patients are treated.

While several targeted therapies are approved for acute myeloid leukemia, a 2023 U.K. study found that median survival following diagnosis was only about seven months, highlighting the need not only for new therapies, but for a faster regulatory strategy. At the American Society of Hematology’s 67th annual meeting in Orlando Dec. 6, researcher Jesse Tettero presented data supporting the use of a measurable residual disease (MRD) surrogate endpoint in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) research.

Kazia Therapeutics Ltd. raised AU$50 million (US$33.15 million) in a private placement of equity securities to advance lead candidate paxalisib, a brain-penetrant dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor in clinical trials for brain cancer and advanced breast cancer.

Crescent Biopharma Inc. teamed with Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to generate “parallel” data of its PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, CR-001. The goal is to get 2027 readouts of the bispecific as a monotherapy and as a combination therapy with antibody-drug conjugates in both the U.S. and China.

Natera Inc. completed the acquisition of Foresight Diagnostics Inc. in a deal structured as $275 million up front plus contingent payments of up to $175 million based on achieving certain milestones for revenue and reimbursement coverage. The companies expect to close the transaction in the second quarter of 2026.

Freenome Holdings Inc. reported it is going public via a special purpose acquisition company. The company said it expects to raise $330 million, which it plans to use for the 2026 launch of its blood-based screening tests for multiple cancers. Backed by an affiliate of Perceptive Advisors - Perceptive Capital Solutions Corp. (PCSP) – and joined by RA Capital, the arrangement includes a commitment of $240 million in equity investments plus about $90 million more held by the SPAC’s trust fund. Other notable investors, including ADAR1 Capital, Bain Capital Life Sciences, and Farallon Capital Management have signed on to participate in the deal.

Laigo Bio BV has raised €11.5 million (US$13.7 million) in a seed round for the further development of a new approach to inducing targeted protein degradation by E3 ubiquitin ligases.