On December 18, 2025 Amplia Therapeutics Limited (ASX:ATX; OTCQB:INNMF), ("Amplia" or the "Company"), reported that it has entered into the second phase of a research collaboration with Korean preclinical drug screening company Next & Bio. This follows a successful initial engagement that demonstrated the powerful capability of the Next & Bio technology as well as promising preliminary data from the study.

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The collaboration has been investigating the ability of Amplia’s FAK inhibitors to suppress the growth of patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells that possess genetic mutations in the kRAS gene known to be present in >90% of pancreatic cancers. Amplia’s best-in-class FAK inhibitor narmafotinib showed promising activity in these initial tests and this data will be presented at a forthcoming scientific conference.

Building on this promising data, further studies investigating the activity of a combination of narmafotinib with known inhibitors of the mutant kRAS gene will now be undertaken. kRAS inhibitors are an exciting new class of drug in development for a range of cancers including pancreatic cancer, and there is strong scientific rationale for a combination of FAK and kRAS inhibition to provide improved responses.

Next & Bio, a global leading Preclinical research biotech in Seoul, Korea, offers advanced drug screening by testing treatments on cancer cells taken directly from patients. The company has developed these patient-derived cell models specifically for pancreatic cancer. Importantly, these cells are grown to closely replicate the tumour environment for more accurate and predictive results.

Amplia’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dr Chris Burns, commented, "The initial phase of our collaboration successfully demonstrated the activity of Amplia’s FAK inhibitors on patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells. Building on these promising results, we are eager to further investigate the potential synergy between narmafotinib and kRAS inhibitors. This next phase of the collaboration is expected to strategically position Amplia for expanded partnering opportunities and commercial growth."

Next and Bio’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. SangWook Park, stated, "We are delighted to build on the success of our initial collaboration and to advance into a second phase of partnership with Amplia Therapeutics. In this collaboration, Next & Bio will leverage its preclinical research platform to investigate synergistic effects with kRAS inhibitors, with the ultimate goal of delivering new therapeutic options for pancreatic cancer patients with high unmet medical needs."

(Press release, Amplia Therapeutics, DEC 18, 2025, View Source [SID1234661539])