KSQ Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer therapies using its proprietary CRISRomics® discovery platform, today announced that it has entered into a worldwide licensing and partnership agreement with Roche to develop and commercialize the KSQ-4279. KSQ-4279 is a selective, potent, first-class small molecule inhibitor of USP1, a protein that regulates DNA damage response (DDR) in a manner distinct from other approaches, including inhibitors PARP. The molecule is currently in phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors. As part of this partnership, Roche will assume responsibility for the development of KSQ-4279, a drug capable of treating a variety of cancers.
“We believe KSQ-4279, which was discovered through our proprietary CRISPRomics® platform, has incredible potential to help patients with a variety of solid tumors based on the strong preclinical data we have seen to date. We are confident Roche is the right partner to further the development of KSQ-4279 and maximize its benefits for patients,”
“For KSQ, this agreement enables us to fully focus our attention on advancing our own immunotherapy programs and to continue leveraging our successful platform to discover novel targets.”
Qasim Rizvi, Chief Executive Officer of KSQ.
Under the terms of the agreement, KSQ will receive an upfront payment and may receive additional royalty and milestone payments. KSQ grants Roche a global license, with Roche taking full responsibility for further development of the KSQ-4279 in 2024.“DDR is a promising and emerging area of research in oncology,”
“We are excited to collaborate with KSQ on their novel inhibitor of USP1 as a potential new treatment option for patients with significant unmet medical needs across a range of cancers. This partnership reflects our strategic focus of fitting treatments to patients and delivering personalized healthcare.”
James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Pharma Partnering, Roche.
