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Boehringer Ingelheim and Tessellate Bio have entered into a partnership worth over €500m to develop oral precision medicines for hard-to-treat cancers. The research collaboration and global licence agreement will focus on developing treatments targeting tumours that are dependent on alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) for their growth. ALT is thought to occur in up to 10% of all cancers and is associated with poorer clinical outcomes and a lack of targeted therapies. Tessellate Bio has already developed inhibitors of an undisclosed target that helps enable the uncontrolled growth of ALT-positive cancer cells. Blocking this target has been shown to increase DNA damage, replication stress and tumour cell death in these tumour cells, and a “clear benefit” of the approach is that it does not affect healthy cells, according to the precision oncology company. The partners will work together to advance the programme, with Tessellate Bio eligible for near-term payments comprising an upfront licence fee, research funding and technical milestone payments, as well as downstream success-based milestones. Lamine Mbow, global head of discovery research at Boehringer, said the company is “[looking] forward to working with Tessellate Bio’s team of scientists to develop innovative cancer treatments based on their synthetic lethality approach targeting ALT-positive tumours”. Tessellate’s chief executive officer, Andree Blaukat, outlined that its partnership with Boehringer is its “first pharma collaboration”. “[Boehringer] has a proven commitment to oncology and the agreement aligns with our collaborative strategy for bringing new targeted treatment options based on the concept of synthetic lethality to patients across a wider range of cancers,” Blaukat said. The collaboration comes just over a week after Boehringer and Cue Biopharma announced a partnership worth $357m to develop and commercialise Cue’s pre-clinical B cell depletion therapy, CUE-501, for autoimmune diseases. Boehringer also partnered with Salipro Biotech last month to accelerate the development of multiple drug targets. The research and licence agreement will focus on advancing therapeutic solutions that target G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, transporters and other integral membrane proteins in areas such as cardio-renal-metabolic diseases and mental health.

Boehringer Ingelheim is paying an upfront fee, of publicly undisclosed size, for global rights to the ALT program.\n Boehringer Ingelheim has slipped another piece of its oncology R&D strategy into place, partnering with Tessellate Bio on a synthetic lethal program in a deal worth more than 500 million euros ($570 million) in biobucks. European biotech Tessellate exited stealth in 2023 with a focus on novel synthetic lethality approaches. PARP inhibitors have shown the potential to shrink tumors by targeting pairs of genes that are essential for the survival of cancer cells. Companies including AstraZeneca and Merck KGaA are studying forms of synthetic lethality beyond the homologous recombination deficiency pathway targeted by PARP drugs. Tessellate has found a largely unclaimed piece of territory, namely tumors that depend on alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) for their growth. About 10% to 15% of cancers rely on ALT, according to the biotech. ALT-positive tumors are associated with poor prognosis and a lack of targeted therapies. Boehringer is paying an upfront fee, of publicly undisclosed size, for global rights to the ALT program. Once milestones and other fees are factored in, the value of the agreement could swell to more than 500 million euros.  Telomeres, the caps at the ends of chromosomes, shorten with each cell division and limit the life span of cells. Some cancers, including many sarcomas, gliomas and neuroepithelial tumors, use ALT to maintain telomere length. Tumors’ reliance on ALT creates opportunities to selectively kill cancer cells by targeting the mechanism. Tessellate said it has developed inhibitors of an undisclosed target that helps enable uncontrolled growth of ALT-positive cancer cells. Blocking the target drives DNA damage, replication stress and cell death, the biotech said. When it exited stealth, Tessellate said its lead ALT program targeted the FANCM protein complex. Studies have shown FANCM suppresses DNA replication stress at ALT telomeres. Artios Pharma, another European biotech, has a discovery-stage ALT program, but the industry’s efforts to expand synthetic lethality have largely focused on other pathways to date. AstraZeneca, which helped put PARP inhibitors on the map, is running trials of drug candidates that hit targets including ATR. Other targets include WEE1, USP1 and POLθ.    

INGELHEIM, Germany and AMSTERDAM, April 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boehringer Ingelheim and Tessellate Bio, a precision oncology company with a focus on developing novel synthetic lethality approaches, have entered into a research collaboration and global license agreement. Jointly the partners will focus on the development of first-in-class, oral precision treatments for people living with cancer. Cancer continues to be one of the leading challenges in medicine and treatment options for many cancers remain limited. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to changing this. The new collaboration with Tessellate Bio aims to develop treatments targeting tumors dependent on alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) for their growth. This feature is present in 10-15% of all cancers and associated with poor prognosis and a lack of targeted therapies. Under the terms of the agreement, Tessellate Bio is entitled to receive near term payments including an upfront license fee, research funding, and technical milestone payments, as well as downstream success-based milestones, with an overall deal value in excess of €500 million. "We look forward to working with Tessellate Bio’s team of scientists to develop innovative cancer treatments based on their synthetic lethality approach targeting ALT positive tumors," said Lamine Mbow, Global Head of Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. "This new collaboration complements our oncology research portfolio and further reinforces our commitment to transforming the lives of people living with cancer." Andree Blaukat, CEO, Tessellate Bio said, "This is our first pharma collaboration, and we believe that Boehringer Ingelheim is the ideal partner to advance this innovative program to benefit patients with ALT positive cancers. The company has a proven commitment to oncology and the agreement aligns with our collaborative strategy for bringing new targeted treatment options based on the concept of synthetic lethality to patients across a wider range of cancers." Tessellate Bio has developed inhibitors of an undisclosed target that plays a key role in enabling the uncontrolled growth of ALT positive cancer cells. Blocking this target has been shown to lead to increased DNA damage, replication stress and ultimately tumor cell death, specifically in ALT positive tumor cells. A clear benefit is that healthy cells are not affected because they have no dependency on this mechanism. About Boehringer Ingelheim Boehringer Ingelheim is a biopharmaceutical company active in both human and animal health. As one of the industry’s top investors in research and development, the company focuses on developing innovative therapies that can improve and extend lives in areas of high unmet medical need. Independent since its foundation in 1885, Boehringer takes a long-term perspective, embedding sustainability along the entire value chain. Our approximately 54,500 employees serve over 130 markets to build a healthier and more sustainable tomorrow. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com. About Tessellate Bio Headquartered in the Netherlands and with labs in the UK, Tessellate Bio was founded based on cutting-edge research from the international world-renowned researchers Hilda Pickett and Roger Reddel (Children’s Medical Research Institute, Australia), and Claus Azzalin (Instituto de Medicina Molecular, now the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine, Portugal). Tessellate Bio is supported by top-tier life science investors BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) and Forbion. For more information, please visit: www.tessellate.com | follow us on LinkedIn Media Contacts: Boehringer IngelheimLinda Ruckel+1 203-791-6672linda.ruckel@boehringer-ingelheim.com Reinhard Malin+49 (6132) 77-90815reinhard.malin@boehringer-ingelheim.comTessellate BioCharles ConsultantsSue Charles+44 (0)7968 726585Sue@charles-consultants.comChris Gardner+44 (0)7956 031077Chris@CGComms.onmicrosoft.com