Menarini Group and Insilico Medicine Forge Partnership for Novel Cancer Therapy Development

In a new development in oncology, the Menarini Group and Insilico Medicine have announced an exclusive global licensing agreement. This collaboration is set to advance a novel KAT6A inhibitor, developed by Insilico Medicine using generative AI, as a potential treatment for hormone-sensitive cancers, including breast cancer.

Breast cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, predominantly occurs as estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) subtypes. Despite endocrine therapy being a cornerstone treatment, resistance to these therapies is a major clinical challenge. This agreement aims to address this by focusing on KAT6A, a molecule known to influence cancer progression. Notably, overexpression of KAT6A correlates with poor outcomes in ER+/HER2- breast cancer, the most common breast cancer subtype.

Insilico Medicine's AI platform has been instrumental in the development of this novel molecule, which demonstrated potent inhibition of KAT6A in preclinical studies. The company's generative AI approach offers a new pathway in designing targeted cancer treatments, showcased by their presentation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Insilico will receive an upfront payment of $12 million, with the deal's total potential exceeding $500 million, inclusive of development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, plus sales royalties.

Topics: Startups & Deals