On January 6, 2026 Cartography Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company advancing a differentiated pipeline of antibody-based cancer therapies, reported a strategic collaboration with Pfizer to discover tumor-selective antigens. Under the multi-year agreement, Cartography will apply its proprietary ATLAS and SUMMIT discovery platforms to identify and validate tumor-selective antigens in an undisclosed indication. Pfizer may opt in on multiple antigens identified and validated through this collaboration and will be responsible for all research, development and commercialization of programs directed to selected antigens. Cartography’s lead program, CBI-1214, remains wholly owned and independently advanced by the company.

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A core component of the collaboration is the target analysis and identification capabilities of Cartography’s ATLAS and SUMMIT platforms. ATLAS and SUMMIT utilize a proprietary approach to a longstanding challenge in oncology: identifying antigens that precisely target cancer cells while sparing the vast landscape of cells in the healthy body. By comprehensively analyzing antigen expression across the full spectrum of healthy and tumor cell states, ATLAS and SUMMIT can identify antigens and combinations of antigens with optimal tumor selectivity. Cartography’s platforms integrate expansive patient-derived datasets with advanced computational biology, antigen validation, and antibody engineering.

Kevin Parker, CEO of Cartography Biosciences. "Our ATLAS and SUMMIT platforms are designed to uncover target biology that traditional tools simply cannot resolve, enabling the nomination of highly tumor-selective antigens and antigen pairs with potential to significantly improve therapeutic precision and patient outcomes. We are excited to collaborate with Pfizer, whose deep scientific, development and regulatory expertise positions them as an ideal partner."

Under the terms of the collaboration, Cartography is eligible to receive up to $65M in upfront payment, near-term milestone payments, and option exercise payments. The agreement carries a potential total deal value exceeding $850 million if all options are exercised, with Cartography eligible to receive future development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on net sales for any programs Pfizer advances under the collaboration.

(Press release, Cartography Biosciences, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661744])

On January 6, 2026 PureTech Health plc (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech" or the "Company"), a hub-and-spoke biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to science and transforming innovation into value, reported that Robert Lyne, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 44th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 4:30pm PST / 7:30pm EST. A webcast of the presentation will be available at View Source

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(Press release, PureTech Health, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661760])

On January 6, 2026 Freenome, an early cancer detection company developing blood-based screening tests, reported the improved clinical performance of an updated version of its SimpleScreen CRC test. In data being shown at this week’s ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI) in San Francisco, the updated colorectal cancer (CRC) test detected 85% of CRC cases and 22% of advanced precancerous lesions (APLs) at 90% specificity.

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The increased clinical sensitivity – higher than previously reported from Freenome’s PREEMPT CRC Study1 – reflects improvements made to the assay, including optimizing key aspects of the reagents, workflow and automation of the testing platform. The original test and the updated version were compared head-to-head by evaluating all study subjects with both versions, which controls for biological variation and cohort effects. For both CRC and APL, the PREEMPT CRC clinical performance results were within the confidence intervals of the original test in this study, which helps validate the credibility of the improvements made to the underlying platform.

Additional improvements in the updated test included increased sensitivity of 44% for APLs with high-grade dysplasia, a 2.6-fold reduction in the limit of detection, and meaningful improvements in projected patient outcomes (9% reduction in lifetime CRC cases and 10% reduction in CRC deaths). A total of 966 samples were tested from an average-risk cohort, with results adjusted to the intended-use population using U.S. Census and PREEMPT CRC cohort information.

"The results Freenome is presenting at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI this week for an updated CRC screening test – utilizing our personalized multi-cancer detection platform – demonstrate that we can deliver a versioning strategy to generate significant improvements in test performance," said Aaron Elliott, Ph.D., CEO of Freenome. "As we look ahead to 2026 and the planned launch of multiple blood-based cancer screening tests, we are confident in our potential to systematically improve the detection of cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages."

Data for Freenome’s updated CRC test will be presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI in a poster session at 7:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. The presenting author will be Aasma Shaukat, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a co-lead principal investigator on the PREEMPT CRC study.

Freenome’s multiomics discovery platform evaluates multiple biomarker classes, including genomics, epigenomics and proteomics, to identify the early biological signals of disease in the bloodstream. SimpleScreen CRC was built using this platform and applies an AI/ML-based model to detect specific methylation signatures in tumor-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) at single-base resolution.

Freenome has also been working on upgrades to the AI/ML learning algorithm; these improvements will be described in future work.

In August, Freenome completed its Premarket Approval Application (PMA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the initial version of its SimpleScreen CRC test. The company intends to submit a supplemental PMA application for the updated test following expected approval of SimpleScreen CRC and completion of a larger, independent clinical validation study in 2026.

(Press release, Freenome, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661776])

On January 6, 2026 Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) reported its acquisition of Dark Blue Therapeutics Ltd., a privately held biotechnology company based in the United Kingdom advancing first-in-class, small molecule-targeted protein degraders for oncology, in a transaction valued at up to $840 million.

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The acquisition adds to Amgen’s portfolio an investigational small molecule that targets and degrades two proteins (MLLT1/3) that drive specific types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer. Preclinical data in leukemia models demonstrate promising anti-cancer activity and mechanistic differentiation from currently available therapies, establishing the rationale for single-agent and combination use to overcome treatment resistance and enhance durability of remission.

"Acute myeloid leukemia 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," said Jay Bradner, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "This acquisition complements and extends our research in targeted protein degradation and leukemia therapeutics, advancing our strategy to invest early in rising medicines for novel therapeutic targets. The adjacency of this program to our considered expertise in cancer biology will propel MLLT1/3-targeting medicines to clinical investigation for patients facing the challenging diagnosis of AML."

Amgen expects to integrate Dark Blue Therapeutics into its existing research organization, further strengthening the company’s early oncology discovery efforts.

(Press release, Amgen, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661745])

On January 6, 2026 Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leading provider of diagnostic information services, reported that data will be shared on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) minimal residual disease (MRD) testing during two poster presentations at the 2026 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, being held January 8-10, 2026 in San Francisco, CA., and online. The studies evaluate the use of ctDNA in colorectal cancer using the Haystack MRD test from Quest Diagnostics.

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Details of the poster presentations are as follows:

Title: Reproducibility and Clinical Concordance of a Tumor-Informed MRD Assay in Patients with Resected Colorectal Cancer from the DYNAMIC Trials
Abstract Number: 26
Lead Author: Jeanne Tie, MBChB, FRACP, MD
Session Time and Date: 1/10/2026, 12:00 PM-1:30 PM (PST)

Title: Use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to monitor patients undergoing total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT) for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (LARC).
Abstract Number: 30
Lead Author: Eric Christenson, MD
Session Time and Date: 1/10/2026, 12:00 PM-1:30 PM (PST)

About ctDNA MRD

A growing body of research underscores the value of ctDNA-based MRD testing to identify residual or recurring cancer in solid tumors. By detecting trace amounts of tumor-derived DNA in the bloodstream, MRD testing can reveal molecular evidence of disease recurrence months before it becomes apparent through imaging or other conventional monitoring methods. This early insight can help clinicians tailor surveillance strategies, adjust treatment plans, and potentially intervene before disease progression becomes clinically evident. Nearly all oncologists (96%) in a recent survey by Harris Poll for Quest Diagnostics said MRD testing has the potential to identify cancer recurrence earlier than other current methods.

(Press release, Quest Diagnostics, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661761])