Seed Therapeutics Inc. has gained IND clearance from the U.S. FDA for ST-01156, a brain-penetrant RBM39 degrader. The clearance enables initiation of a first-in-human phase I trial in patients with advanced solid tumors and hematological malignancies, prioritizing biomarker-selected RBM39-dependent cancers. Dosing is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.

Seed Therapeutics Inc.’s ST-01156 has been awarded orphan drug designation for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma as well as rare pediatric disease designation by the FDA.

Big pharma continues to invest heavily into molecular glue degraders. The latest deal has Eisai Co. Ltd. striking up a research collaboration that could bring Seed Therapeutics Inc. up to $1.5 billion in up-front and milestone payments. The two said they plan to discover, develop and commercialize MGDs for several undisclosed neurodegeneration and oncology targets.

Seed Therapeutics Inc., a subsidiary of Beyondspring Inc., has reported the discovery of ST-00937, a new chemical entity molecular glue with IND candidate status that will be advanced for the treatment of cancers.

Seed Therapeutics Inc. signed a massive deal with Eli Lilly and Co. on Nov. 12, a date that resonated deeply with Seed’s CEO, Lan Huang. Twenty-one years earlier to the day she published a pioneering paper on cancer signaling pathways involving p53 degradation in Science. “It’s a magical coincidence that exactly 21 years later we have this deal with Lilly,” she told BioWorld, a deal with protein degradation at its core. In the new research collaboration and license agreement, Seed will receive $10 million cash up front to fund research along with a $10 million equity investment from Lilly.