Amgen acquires UK cancer biotech Dark Blue Therapeutics for $840m

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Amgen has expanded its oncology pipeline after signing an $840 million deal to acquire a UK biotech company working on potential first-in-class treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Oxford-based Dark Blue Therapeutics focuses on small molecule-targeted protein degraders and its lead candidate DBT 3757 is an investigational small molecule that targets and degrades two proteins (MLLT1/3).

Jay Bradner, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Amgen, said: “Acute myeloid leukaemia remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and we see an urgent need for new mechanisms capable of changing the trajectory of this disease.

“This acquisition complements and extends our research in targeted protein degradation and leukaemia therapeutics, advancing our strategy to invest early in rising medicines for novel therapeutic targets. The adjacency of this programme to our considered expertise in cancer biology will propel MLLT1/3-targeting medicines to clinical investigation for patients facing the challenging diagnosis of AML.”

DBT 3757 is currently in IND-enabling studies and preclinical data from the small molecule in leukaemia models have so far shown promising anti-cancer activity and mechanistic differentiation from currently available therapies.

Amgen said this could establish the rationale for single-agent, as well as combination, use to overcome treatment resistance and enhance durability of remission.

Alastair MacKinnon, CEO of Dark Blue Therapeutics, said: “Amgen has the expertise, resources and commitment to accelerate development of DBT 3757 to treat patients with acute leukaemia, including those that do not respond to current standard therapies.

“With its world-leading capabilities in oncology and deep experience in developing, manufacturing, and commercialising novel medicines, we are confident that Amgen will build on our pre-clinical work to bring DBT 3757 to the patients who urgently need new treatment options.”

Dark Blue Therapeutics will now be integrated into Amgen’s existing research organisation, adding to its existing early oncology discovery efforts.