BRIEF—Boehringer goes Austrian in search for cancer drugs

Austrian drug discovery company Quantro Therapeutics has announced that it has entered a three-year collaboration, option and license agreement with German pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim for the identification and development of inhibitors for up to three cancer-associated transcription factors.

The collaboration will use Quantro’s proprietary drug discovery platform, which combines genome engineering, chemical genetics, and innovative gene expression profiling to develop therapeutics that interfere with aberrant transcriptional programs. It is part of Boehringer's long-term strategy to provide first-in-class breakthrough therapies for cancer patients.

Norbert Kraut, global head of cancer research at Boehringer, said: “We are excited about partnering with Quantro on oncogenic transcription factors. Development of small molecule inhibitors for this target class is truly challenging due to their frequent lack of enzymatic activity and ligandable pockets. Quantro’s innovative drug discovery approach tackles this important protein family in a new way and has the potential to deliver drug candidates that overcome the barriers of drugging important cancer drivers that so far remain inaccessible to targeted therapies.”

Quantro will receive an undisclosed upfront sum along with research and development support, milestone payments and royalties on products resulting from the collaboration.