Previously, Chinese researchers used long-read RNA sequencing to identify a unique alternative splicing variant of CD44 transmembrane protein, named CD44E, which is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors compared to adjacent nontumoral liver tissues. In a new study, the team analyzed the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database and confirmed that CD44E expression is limited in essential normal organs, while CD44S standard isoform is broadly expressed on most cell types.

Onkure Therapeutics Inc. has announced an oversubscribed $150 million private placement which the company intends to use to fund the preclinical and clinical development of its next-generation PI3Kα pan-mutant selective inhibitor candidates in breast cancer and vascular anomalies.

IKZF1-4 are transcription factors that regulate cellular differentiation, proliferation and survival. At the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2026 meeting this week in Atlanta, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. detailed the identification and preclinical profile of BMS-986482, a next-generation investigational cereblon E3 ligase modulator (CELMoD) degrader designed to target IKZF1-4 factors.

Multispecifics took center stage at this year’s ESMO TAT, emerging as one of the hottest trends in oncology research. Unlike traditional small-molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies that typically target a single protein, multispecific compounds are engineered to harness multiple mechanisms of action within a single molecule. They orchestrate biology rather than just blocking it.