On January 6, 2026 Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNX) ("Crinetics"), a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for endocrine diseases and endocrine-related tumors, reported the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 7,620,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $45.95 per share. All of the shares to be sold in the offering are to be sold by Crinetics. The gross proceeds to Crinetics from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $350 million. In addition, Crinetics has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,143,000 shares of common stock. The offering is expected to close on or about January 8, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

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Crinetics intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with its cash, cash equivalents and investment securities, to fund its commercial activities in connection with the launch of PALSONIFY, research and development of its product candidates, other research programs and other general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, capital expenditures or working capital. Crinetics may also use a portion of the remaining net proceeds, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents and investment securities, to in-license, acquire, or invest in complementary businesses, technologies, products or assets; however, it has no current commitments or obligations to do so.

Leerink Partners, J.P. Morgan, Evercore ISI, Piper Sandler and Cantor are acting as joint bookrunning managers for the offering. Baird is acting as lead manager for the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by Crinetics pursuant to a shelf registration statement that became automatically effective upon its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to this offering has been filed with the SEC, and a final prospectus supplement relating to this offering will be filed with the SEC. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. When available, copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained from: Leerink Partners LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, 53 State Street, 40th Floor, Boston, MA 02109, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6105, or by email at [email protected]; or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attention: c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by email at [email protected] and [email protected]. Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus will also be available on the website of the SEC at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

(Press release, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661766])

On January 6, 2026 Vividion Therapeutics, Inc. (Vividion), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, reported the publication of a manuscript detailing the discovery and optimization of VVD-214, the company’s covalent inhibitor of Werner helicase (WRN), on the cover of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. The article, "Identification of VVD-214/RO7589831, a Clinical-Stage, Covalent Allosteric Inhibitor of WRN Helicase for the Treatment of MSI-High Cancers" (Kikuchi et al., J. Med. Chem.,December 2025), validates Vividion’s covalent-first chemoproteomics approach to reach targets that have eluded traditional drug discovery.

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"The discovery of VVD-214 marks a significant milestone in the development of a new class of potential therapies for MSI-high solid tumors," said Aleksandra Rizo, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Vividion. "Patients with malignancies with high microsatellite instability (MSI) — including colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and gastric cancers — have limited treatment options, and many ultimately relapse or become resistant to available therapies. This program’s continued progress, as the first covalent inhibitor in clinical development, underscores our platform’s ability to generate differentiated investigational medicines that address some of the toughest challenges in cancer biology."

VVD-214 is designed to exploit the dependency of MSI-high cancer cells on WRN-mediated DNA repair, leading to selective tumor cell death while sparing healthy tissue. In the manuscript, researchers report utilizing Vividion’s chemoproteomics platform to identify molecular fragments that covalently bound an allosteric pocket of WRN to lock it into an inactive conformation. These molecules were then optimized through iterative structure-activity relationship testing, with particular focus on the cysteine-reactive electrophile (vinyl sulfone) and the molecule’s core aromatic rings. The resulting structure of VVD-214 was chosen for its balance of potency, selectivity, and drug-like ADME properties. In preclinical studies, VVD-214 was well tolerated and led to robust tumor regression in multiple patient-derived xenograft mouse models of MSI-high colorectal cancer.

The compound is now in a Phase I clinical trial (NCT06004245) as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab for patients with MSI-high or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) cancers.

"WRN is a high-value oncology target known to induce synthetic lethality in cancers with high MSI, but as a helicase it has been extremely difficult to drug," said Matt Patricelli, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Vividion. "This paper highlights the strength of Vividion’s chemoproteomics platform at identifying selective small molecules against even the most challenging protein classes, while our medicinal chemistry expertise in covalent drug design enables us to optimize those discoveries into potent and selective therapeutic candidates."

(Press release, Vividion Therapeutics, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661765])

On January 6, 2026 Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, reported that its management team will meet institutional investors during the upcoming editions of:

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– LifeSci Partners Corporate Access Event (by LifeSci Partners), on January 12 and 13, 2026, in San Francisco (United States) in conjunction with the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference;
– Biomed Forum (by Allinvest Securities), on January 29, 2026, in Paris (France).

(Press release, Transgene, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661763])

On January 6, 2026 TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAZ), a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA therapeutics for the treatment of high risk and advanced cancer, reported the publication of preclinical research supporting the application of its lead candidate, TTX-MC138, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The article was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Functional Biomaterials (Volume 17, Issue 1). The study, entitled "Nanotherapy Targeting miR-10b Improves Survival in Orthotopic Glioblastoma Models," resulted from a collaboration between TransCode and Michigan State University. The study was led by Dr. Anna Moore, Professor, Director of the Precision Health Program, and Associate Dean for Research Development at the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University and scientific co-founder of TransCode.

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Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain cancer, with median survival under two years from diagnosis despite current standard-of-care interventions. The molecular target of TTX-MC138, microRNA10-b (miR-10b), is highly expressed in GBM cells where it drives tumor survival, growth and invasiveness.

The study demonstrated delivery of TTX-MC138 to human GBM tumors implanted into the brains of murine models after intravenous injection, resulting in sustained target engagement within the tumor. TTX-MC138 also induced apoptotic activity in tumors by five-fold, consistent with observed induction of tumor cell death. Importantly, treatment with TTX-MC138 resulted in a statistically significant increase in survival.

These findings demonstrate the capability of TransCode’s TTX platform to systemically deliver antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to brain neoplasms and further supports its potential utility in overcoming key delivery barriers, including nucleic acid degradation and limited tumor penetration. Considering that investigational new drug (IND) enabling studies as well as pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and required toxicity studies for TTX-MC138 have already been completed and that the formulation has shown appreciable safety in Phase I clinical trials in patients with non-central nervous system (CNS) cancers, these results support advancing TTX-MC138 to future clinical evaluation in patients with GBM.

"This research represents an important step forward in targeting one of the most treatment-resistant forms of cancer," said Dr. Zdravka Medarova, CSO of TransCode. "By pairing our differentiated delivery approach with robust biological support, we are broadening the potential reach of our RNA-based therapeutics beyond metastatic solid tumors," added Dr. Medarova.

TTX-MC138 is currently evaluated in metastatic disease in a Phase 1a clinical trial, with a Phase 2a clinical trial anticipated to begin in the first half of 2026, underscoring the translational relevance of this approach.

(Press release, TransCode Therapeutics, JAN 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234661762])

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])