Minimal residual disease (MRD) has become a central concept in modern oncology, reshaping how clinicians evaluate response, relapse risk and treatment precision. As increasingly sensitive technologies reveal traces of cancer that persist after therapy, MRD is emerging as both a biological challenge and a clinical opportunity, especially as new data illuminate its complexity across hematologic and solid tumors. This topic was addressed at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting. Read More
Artificial intelligence tools are springing up at multiple points along drug discovery and development, but despite the hype, as yet there is minimal return on investment (ROI). “I would say a lot of companies sort of get this big excitement about AI, but then when you look at how much ROI they get, it’s actually very little. And that’s because the workflow and the process, end-to-end, isn’t mapped to really understand where AI can truly make an impact,” said Laura Matz, chief science and technology officer at Merck KGaA. Read More
Ferrosa Therapeutics AG has announced a $3.5 million seed financing to support the development of a first-in-class bispecific antibody (FRS-101) to treat anemia of inflammation across chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disease and oncology indications. Read More
Atrium Therapeutics Inc. has earned a $15 million development milestone payment from Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) for the successful delivery of a development candidate for the first licensed compound targeting a cardiology indication under the companies’ ongoing collaboration. Read More
Scientists from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Shanghai Senhui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Shengdi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have disclosed antibody-drug conjugates comprising antibodies covalently linked camptothecin derivatives through a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer. Read More
Neomorph Inc.’s NEO-811 is a molecular glue degrader designed to induce targeted degradation of ARNT and suppress this signaling pathway implicated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Targeting ARNT offers a complementary strategy to broadly disrupt oncogenic HIF signaling in ccRCC. Read More
Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. is developing a nonopioid Nav1.8 inhibitor, KHN-702. The effects of KHN-702 were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo, in a plantar incision pain model, and results were presented at the recent American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago. Read More
Suzhou Spring-Sea Bio-Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has synthesized glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R), glucagon receptor (GCGR) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR) agonists that are potentially useful for the treatment of dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Read More
Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical Research Institute Co. Ltd. has identified G protein-coupled receptor 6 (GPR6) inverse agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and dependence, eating disorders, schizophrenia, cognitive disorders, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington's disease, among others. Read More
An advantage of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is that they allow targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents into tumors, thus improving the therapeutic index. Pfizer Inc. has developed a new ADC, PF-08046033, that contains auristatin S (AurS) as the cytotoxic payload and targets transmembrane glycoprotein NMB (GPNMB). Read More
Shanghai Meiyue Biotech Development Co. Ltd. has divulged molecular glue degraders comprising an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase/proto-oncogene Vav (VAV1) interaction inducer and VAV1 degradation inducer. They are designed for potential use in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, inflammatory and neurological disorders. Read More
Jiangsu Carephar Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has patented angiotensin AT2 receptor (AGTR2) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Read More
Homozygous deletion of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), present in ~15% of tumors, leads to accumulation of methylthioadenosine and partial inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), creating a synthetic-lethal vulnerability that sensitizes tumors to PRMT5-targeted therapies. Researchers from Beone Medicines Ltd. presented preclinical efficacy data of BGB-58067, an MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor, in models of tumors with MTAP-deficiency. Read More
