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Japan-headquartered Ono Pharmaceutical has entered an agreement with US-based KSQ Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, to aquire multiple research-stage DNA damage response (DDR) programmes identified using KSQ’s proprietary, integrated discovery CRISPRomics platform technology.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ono will acquire information and associated research assets related to multiple research-stage oncology programmes and develop optimised therapeutic drug candidates acting on the novel oncology therapeutic targets identified by KSQ. Ono will retain worldwide exclusive development and commercialisation rights to any drug candidates to be discovered by Ono.
Ono will pay to KSQ up-front and potential R&D milestone payments (up to double-digit millions) with potential sales milestone (amounting up to the triple-digit millions), as well as royalties based on global net sales.
Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer/ Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono, said “Through this acquisition agreement, we expect that the programmes acquired from KSQ will lead to the creation of innovative medicines that will help treat cancer patients.”
