12 July 2019 - - US-based Nimbus Therapeutics has expanded its long-term strategic alliance with Celgene Corp. to include Nimbus' HPK1 inhibitor programme, the company said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Celgene will receive an option to acquire the program up through a clinical inflection point. Nimbus will retain full control of research and development activities for the programme prior to the programme's option point.
Financial terms will remain undisclosed until Celgene exercises its option to acquire the programme.
Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1, a member of the MAP4K family, is an intracellular negative regulator of T cell proliferation and signaling and plays a key role in dendritic cell activation.
The challenge with HPK1 thus far has been the ability of small molecules to achieve potency and selectivity profiles that do not inhibit other T cell kinases or MAP4K family members.
Given its role in both T cells and dendritic cells, and an opportunity for working synergistically in upregulating immune system surveillance of cancer, HPK1 has been a highly prized target in immuno-oncology.
Nimbus will continue to own and develop its potent small molecule HPK1 inhibitors that are highly selective against relevant off targets and possess robust cellular activity.
Nimbus Therapeutics is a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nimbus is pioneering the application of highly-advanced computational technologies to the design and development of novel treatments for substantial and underserved human diseases.
The company's focus on metabolic diseases, cancer and immune-inflammatory disorders reflects the mechanistic relationship between these disorders, and Nimbus' ability to rapidly tackle well validated targets as well as those that have proven intractable to others.
The company's LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines.