On July 6, 2026 Novartis reported that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Myricx Bio ("Myricx"), a privately held UK-based biotechnology company developing a new class of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), using N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTi) payloads.

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The proposed acquisition would strengthen the Novartis oncology pipeline and advance next-generation targeted drug conjugates with novel payload mechanisms. Myricx’s approach is designed to deliver a differentiated cancer-killing payload directly to tumor cells, with the potential to address limitations of commonly used ADC payload classes such as TOPO-1 inhibitors. Myricx is developing two lead assets directed towards the targets B7-H3 and HER2, with potential across multiple solid tumor settings.

"ADCs have become an important part of cancer treatment, but there remains a clear need for new payload mechanisms to overcome resistance and expand their impact for patients," said Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis. "Myricx Bio has developed a promising NMTi payload platform with a differentiated mechanism that could broaden the use of ADCs across multiple tumor settings. This proposed acquisition reflects our strategy to scale innovative platforms, as we have with radioligand therapies, to deliver more durable, transformative treatments for patients."

NMT is an enzyme that helps important proteins function inside cells, which is essential for how cancer cells grow and survive. By inhibiting NMT, Myricx’s payload is designed to disrupt critical processes that cancer cells rely on. Preclinical data suggest this novel NMTi payload may have broad activity across solid tumors, including TOPO-1 resistant models, and may enable more effective use of ADCs in settings where existing payload classes have limitations.

More broadly, this agreement would give Novartis the opportunity to help establish NMTi, if clinically validated, as a new class of ADC payloads that could be applied across additional targets and platforms.

Transaction Details
Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay USD 1.1bn upfront, with up to USD 400m in potential milestone payments to acquire Myricx Bio. The transaction is expected to close in H2 2026, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

(Press release, Novartis, JUL 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234669072])

On July 6, 2026 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), reported that Walter Klemp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin, participated in a Virtual Investor "What This Means" segment.

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For the segment, Chairman and CEO Wally Klemp discusses the positive preliminary unblinded efficacy results from the first 45 patients enrolled in Part A of the pivotal Phase 2/3 MIRACLE trial evaluating Annamycin in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML). During the conversation, Mr. Klemp provides his perspective on the significance of the early efficacy trends observed across both Annamycin treatment arms, summarizes the key data, and discusses the commercial opportunity, including insights from the Company’s recent market research assessing the potential addressable market for Annamycin if approved.

(Press release, Moleculin, JUL 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234669071])

On July 6, 2026 Cancer Research UK, Cytovation and the Norwegian Cancer Society reported a new multi-national Phase 2 clinical trial (CLARITY; ISRCTN15479264) for people with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the adrenal glands. The trial currently has multiple sites open in the UK, with further sites planned across the UK and Europe.

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Around 350 people in the UK are diagnosed with ACC every year*. Treatment options are limited, with around 130 people dying from adrenal gland cancer every year in the UK**, underlining an urgent need for new therapies.

For rare cancers, like ACC, where patient populations are smaller, recruitment for clinical trials in a single country can be challenging. Running studies with international partners helps clinical teams to move faster and give more patients with rare cancers access to cutting-edge therapies.

CY-101 (getacatetide), developed by biotech company Cytovation, is a novel intratumoral peptide immunotherapy designed to convert immune-resistant "cold" tumours (such as ACC) into immune-active "hot" tumours. It does this by stimulating local immune activation directly within the tumour microenvironment, while simultaneously inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, a key driver of immunotherapy resistance in cancers such as ACC.

Dr Lars Erwig, Director of the Centre for Drug Development at Cancer Research UK, said:
"People living with ACC deserve better treatment options and we are pleased the CLARITY study has reached this exciting stage. We thank our partners, Cytovation and the Norwegian Cancer Society for their ongoing collaboration to help bring us closer to a world where people with rare cancers live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer."

Professor Debashis Sarker, Professor of Experimental Oncology at King’s College London, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Guy’s, St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals, and Chief Investigator of the study, said:
"Advanced ACC is a rare and highly challenging cancer with very limited treatment options and clinical trials available for patients, leading to poor outcomes. This makes opening a new clinical trial for advanced ACC a very important milestone. We are excited by the scientific rationale and potential of CY-101 and deeply grateful to the patients and clinical research teams participating in this trial."

CY-101’s development builds on Cytovation’s Phase 1 CICILIA trial, which demonstrated encouraging outcomes in people with solid tumours, including ACC. These results highlight CY-101’s potential to address the specific mechanisms of ACC.

Dr Lars Prestegarden, CEO of Cytovation, said:
"Reaching this milestone is an important step for patients with ACC, where treatment options remain very limited. The activity we observed in the patients with ACC enrolled in our Phase 1 CICILIA trial gave us strong reason to advance into a dedicated Phase 2 study in this disease. We are grateful to Cancer Research UK and the Norwegian Cancer Society for their commitment to bringing new options to people with rare cancers, and to the patients, families and clinical teams making the CLARITY trial possible."

Cancer treatments are becoming increasingly more targeted which, while increasing efficacy and reducing side effects, narrows the eligibility criteria for taking part in a clinical trial. Cancer Research UK and the Norwegian Cancer Society have worked together since 2023 to broaden access to cutting-edge clinical trials across Europe, with this study being the latest collaboration.

Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross, CEO of the Norwegian Cancer Society, said:
"We are excited that our first joint project with Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development involves a Norwegian innovation, focused on patients with a rare cancer and a substantial unmet need. With the opening of this trial, the treatment is finally reaching patients in the UK and soon also in Norway and other European countries. We are proud to work alongside our partners to develop a new therapy that could offer hope to patients facing aggressive disease."

Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development has sponsored, designed and is delivering the Phase 2 CLARITY trial. Cytovation is licensing the use of CY-101 for the clinical trial. The Norwegian Cancer Society’s support provides access to the additional resources, patients and sites required for trials in rare diseases. Cancer Research Horizons, Cancer Research UK’s innovation arm, continues to manage the commercial relationship between the three parties.

(Press release, Cytovation, JUL 6, 2026, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cancer-research-uk-and-partners-announce-new-global-phase-2-trial-in-rare-adrenal-gland-cancer [SID1234669070])

On July 6, 2026 Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a biotechnology company focused on the development of emavusertib (CA-4948), an orally available, small molecule IRAK4 and FLT3 inhibitor, reported an important enrollment milestone in its TakeAim CLL study.

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On June 26, 2026, Curis announced that eleven clinical sites had opened for enrollment in the TakeAim CLL study. Today, Curis is announcing that it has consented the first six patients in that study – and reaffirmed its guidance for the dosing of five CLL patients by the end of July 2026, with initial CLL data expected in December 2026.

"We are encouraged by the strong interest among clinical sites and key opinion leaders in our TakeAim CLL study that has enabled us to exceed expectations for site activation and enrollment," said James Dentzer, Chief Executive Officer of Curis. "It reflects the clear unmet need in CLL and the excitement for the potential of emavusertib to fundamentally change the treatment paradigm in CLL."

In CLL, disease is driven by NF-kB dysregulation, which is in turn driven by two biologic pathways: BCR and TLR1. The goal of combining emavusertib with a BTK inhibitor (BTKi) in the TakeAim CLL Study is to enable a dual blockade of NF-kB, by inhibiting both the BCR and TLR pathways. BTK inhibitors (BTKi) block the BCR pathway; emavusertib blocks the TLR pathway.

BTKi is the current standard of care in CLL. In the registrational study for the BTKi zanubrutinib, 93% of patients were able to achieve an objective response, but only 7% achieved complete response2. More recent clinical studies have demonstrated that adding emavusertib to a BTKi regimen, blocking both the TLR and BCR pathways, can enable patients with NHL to achieve deeper responses, including complete responses or undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD).

About the TakeAim CLL Study

The TakeAim CLL Study is an open label phase 2 study of emavusertib in combination with zanubrutinib in patients with CLL (CA-4948-203, NCT07271667). Participants in the study must be in a partial response (PR) or partial response with lymphocytosis (PR-L), with measurable residual disease (MRD+) as determined by the clonoSEQ assay and actively taking zanubrutinib for at least 12 months. Curis expects to announce the dosing of the initial 5 patients in the TakeAim CLL study by the end of July, with initial data expected in December 2026.

(Press release, Curis, JUL 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234669069])

On July 6, 2026 Astex Pharmaceuticals ("Astex"), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for oncology and diseases of the central nervous system, reported that it has entered into an exclusive, worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to identify small molecule drug candidates with selective inhibitory activity as potential treatments for breast cancer.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Astex will grant Genentech an exclusive license to compounds from Astex’s existing drug discovery program for breast cancer and will collaborate with Genentech to accelerate the further optimisation and development of lead compounds towards the identification of preclinical candidates. Genentech will be solely responsible for preclinical and clinical development of lead candidates as well as commercialisation of all medicines arising from the collaboration globally. Astex will receive an upfront payment of $25 million and is eligible to receive further payments on the achievement of preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales milestones, potentially totalling more than $490 million, as well as tiered royalties on net sales of medicines arising from the collaboration.
Astex’s drug discovery program originated from an earlier collaborative project under Astex’s strategic alliance agreement with Newcastle University and Cancer Research Horizons.

Michelle Jones, president of Astex Pharmaceuticals, said, "Working together with colleagues from Newcastle University, Astex’s fragment-based drug discovery expertise has led to the discovery of a novel and innovative approach to selectively inhibit this key oncology target for breast cancer therapy. Genentech’s focus on embracing innovation, its expertise in oncology and its longstanding dedication to innovation for breast cancer patients makes Genentech an excellent partner for this collaboration. We are delighted to be working together in this important drug discovery alliance with the aim to build on our progress and accelerate compounds into development in a rapidly emerging area of need which, as yet, remains unmet."

"We are committed to pushing the boundaries of scientific innovation and turning breakthroughs into better outcomes for people with breast cancer," said Boris L. Zaïtra, Head of Roche Corporate Business Development. "Working alongside partners like Astex Pharmaceuticals in pursuit of precision therapies against cell-cycle regulators, we follow the science to focus our innovation on the areas of the highest unmet need."

(Press release, Astex Pharmaceuticals, JUL 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234669068])