Ring finger protein 4 (RNF4) is a SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase that modulates proteins involved in cancer progression. Researchers from Chongqing Medical University and collaborators reported the development and preclinical characterization of [I], the first RNF4-targeting PROTAC degrader for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Researchers from Sichuan University reported the discovery and preclinical characterization of a new series of covalent ULK1 inhibitors. ULK1 is frequently overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) and is therefore being investigated as a therapeutic target to disrupt autophagy-dependent tumor survival and growth.

Tippingpoint Biosciences Inc. has closed an oversubscribed $4.5 million seed financing. The company, spun out of a lab at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is advancing its novel drug discovery platform designed to identify first-in-class drugs to treat diseases related to dysfunctional DNA packaging (chromatin).

Ambrosia Biosciences Inc. has announced a $100 million oversubscribed series B financing intended to support progression of the company’s oral small-molecule GLP-1 candidate and other novel cardiometabolic programs into clinical development.

Telomir Pharmaceuticals Inc. has submitted an IND application to the U.S. FDA for its lead candidate, Telomir-1 (Telomir-Zn), for the treatment of advanced and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Telomir-1 is a first-in-class metal-modulating epigenetic agent designed to restore transcriptional control in tumor cells by targeting intracellular iron-zinc homeostasis.