AstraZeneca is the latest Big Pharma to link arms with clinical-stage cancer biopharma F-star Therapeutics in a deal worth $12 million upfront.
The U.K. Big Pharma snagged the global rights to research, develop and bring to market stimulator of interferon genes (STING) inhibitor compounds. This includes exclusive access to F-star’s novel preclinical STING inhibitors.
AstraZeneca follows AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Denali Therapeutics and Merck KGaA in securing deals with its Cambridge neighbor F-star.
AstraZeneca will dole out up to $12 million in upfront and near-term payments and potentially more than $300 million in biobucks as part of the deal, according to a statement. F-Star will hang on to the rights for all its STING agonists that are also under development for cancer.
F-star gained access to the STING assets through a merger with Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals last year.
STING plays a part in initiating the innate immune system across various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, said Neil Brewis, Ph.D., F-star chief scientific officer, in a statement. This immune pathway has been of interest in oncology for a long time because once activated, it should enhance the immune cells’ chances of attacking cancer, but experimental treatments have led to mixed results in trials.
Novartis pulled out of a deal with Aduro Biotech for a STING agonist in 2019 after disappointing clinical results. Other Big Pharmas have retained interest, though, including AbbVie and Merck.
SVB Leerink analysts said in a note Thursday that past failures of therapies tackling STING are “front of mind for investors.” The analysts remained optimistic on the class, though, noting they do “very much like STING as an innate agonistic target” given F-star’s approach.
Earlier this year, researchers from the University of North Carolina said they have promising evidence that adding STING activators to CAR-T cell therapies might be effective at turning the engineered cells against breast cancer, and possibly a broad range of solid tumors.
AstraZeneca’s deal with F-star follows an early April move by Merck KGaA to exercise its option on a third immuno-oncology bispecific from F-star.