Boehringer Ingelheim and Tessellate Bio Form Partnership to Develop Targeted Cancer Treatments
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into a research collaboration and global licensing agreement with Tessellate Bio, a precision oncology company. The partnership aims to develop first-in-class oral treatments for cancers that are difficult to treat, focusing on a synthetic lethality approach.
The collaboration will target tumours that rely on a process known as alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), a feature found in around 10–15% of cancers. These types of cancer are often linked to poorer outcomes and currently lack specific treatment options.
Through this agreement, Tessellate Bio will receive an upfront payment, along with research funding and payments linked to technical milestones. Additional success-based milestone payments could bring the total value of the deal to over €500 million.
Tessellate Bio has developed inhibitors against an undisclosed target that supports the survival of ALT-positive cancer cells. Blocking this target has shown to increase DNA damage and stress during cell replication, leading to the selective death of cancer cells that rely on this pathway. Importantly, healthy cells are not affected, as they do not depend on this mechanism.
This partnership strengthens Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology research efforts and supports the joint aim of delivering new precision treatment options for patients with limited alternatives. It also marks Tessellate Bio’s first agreement with a pharmaceutical company and is expected to accelerate the development of targeted therapies for ALT-positive cancers.
Source: globenewswire.com
