Boehringer hopes to be perfect fit for Tessellate’s lead cancer programme
Title
Boehringer Ingelheim Partners with Tessellate Bio to Develop Precision Therapies Targeting ALT-Positive Cancers
Keywords
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Tessellate Bio
- Precision oncology
- Synthetic lethality
- ALT-positive cancers
- Alternative lengthening of telomeres
- Cancer therapeutics
- Research collaboration
- First-in-class treatments
- Oncology pipeline
Key Facts
- Boehringer Ingelheim and Tessellate Bio have entered a research partnership and global license agreement exceeding €500 million to develop therapies targeting cancers reliant on alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT)124.
- This collaboration marks Tessellate Bio's first deal with a major pharmaceutical company, positioning it as a significant milestone for the Dutch biotech firm12.
- The primary focus is on developing first-in-class, oral precision treatments for ALT-positive tumors, which make up 10–15% of all cancers and are typically associated with poor prognosis and lack of targeted therapies24.
- Tessellate’s program utilizes a synthetic lethality approach, aiming to selectively induce death in ALT-positive cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue124.
- The agreement includes an upfront license fee, research funding, technical milestone payments, and additional success-based milestones for Tessellate1.
- The joint efforts will combine Boehringer’s oncology experience with Tessellate’s pipeline, specifically strengthening both companies’ precision medicine portfolios24.
- The therapeutic strategy leverages early research indicating that the investigational agent can increase DNA damage and replication stress specifically in ALT-positive tumor cells1.
- This partnership reflects a growing momentum in precision medicine and the development of synthetic lethality drugs to tackle previously ‘undruggable’ cancer targets4.
- Company statements emphasize mutual commitment to transforming cancer care and expanding the range of available targeted treatments for hard-to-treat tumors24.
Sources:
1. https://www.precisionmedicineonline.com/precision-oncology/boehringer-ingelheim-tessellate-bio-announce-collaboration-target-alt-positive
2. https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/254364/boehringer-agrees-new-partnership-to-advance-first-in-class-precision-cancer-therapies/
4. https://www.emjreviews.com/emj-gold/news/boehringer-and-tessellate-partner-to-tackle-tough-cancer-targets/