The initiation of Sprint Bioscience’s DCPS program is part of the company’s strategy to capitalize on its platform for small-molecule drug discovery to broaden the portfolio in the cancer area and to bring more opportunities for future licensing deals.

The DCPS program focuses on a target protein that degrades a metabolite resulting from the processing of mRNA. Both small-molecule inhibition and genetic knock-down of DCPS affects the differentiation and proliferation of several AML cell lines as well as patient-derived samples. Furthermore, healthy tissue seems to be insensitive to DCPS inhibition, indicating that DCPS inhibitors could offer a safe and effective treatment option for AML patients. Sprint Bioscience has also identified biomarkers to predict response to DCPS inhibition, enabling patient selection and clinical success for patients with unmet therapeutic needs.

“We have identified a target protein that constitutes a very attractive approach for the treatment of AML. We aim to advance the project to a stage where it can be licensed to an international pharmaceutical company, enabling further clinical development and progression towards the market to benefit AML patients in need of new treatment options,” said, Johan Emilsson, CEO of Sprint Bioscience.

AML is a severe type of blood cancer. The Global Burden of Disease study estimates that about 140,000 people around the world are diagnosed with AML on a yearly basis. There is an urgent medical need to identify safe and effective therapies to improve treatment outcomes.

Sprint Bioscience's portfolio now consists of six internal drug development programs (five of which are in cancer) and one program that has been licensed to Day One Biopharmaceuticals.