BOEHRINGER-INGELHEIM
14.4.2021 15:02:11 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Boehringer Ingelheim and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the extension and expansion of their joint Virtual Research and Development Center (VRDC) to explore new molecules from Boehringer Ingelheim’s KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma) and TRAILR2 (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2) portfolios for the potential treatment of lung cancer, particularly non-small cell lung cancer.
The collaboration, launched in 2019, has successfully combined MD Anderson’s innovative clinical research infrastructure and the patient-driven drug development capabilities of the Therapeutics Discovery division with Boehringer Ingelheim’s pipeline of innovative cancer medicines and expertise in advancing breakthrough therapies. Under the new agreement, joint research will continue for five additional years.
“Our collaboration with MD Anderson strengthens our determination to find solutions for the most difficult-to-treat cancers, and this latest commitment marks an important step forward, especially in our holistic KRAS program,” said Norbert Kraut, Ph.D., Head of Global Cancer Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are delighted to extend our collaboration with MD Anderson. With our shared dedication to patients and like-minded approach to innovation, we have the potential to bring the medicines to lung and gastrointestinal cancer patients that they so much need.”
The flexible nature of the VRDC agreement allows the teams to expand their lung cancer indication programs targeting KRAS and TRAILR2, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s first-in-class SOS1::pan-KRAS inhibitor (BI 1701963), inhibitors of KRAS G12C (BI 1823911) and MEK (BI 3011441), as well as a novel undisclosed bi-specific TRAILR2 agonist.
The collaboration already has resulted in a number of joint publications, conference presentations (including at the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting) and clinical trial activities. Boehringer Ingelheim is pursuing a comprehensive mutant KRAS-directed effort with multiple programs expected to enter the VRDC with MD Anderson.
“We are proud to expand our work with Boehringer Ingelheim in a very exciting drug-development space – advancing novel targeted therapies against KRAS and TRAILR2,” said Timothy Heffernan, Ph.D., Head of Oncology Research in Therapeutics Discovery at MD Anderson. “Our collaboration is built upon a strong working relationship and complementary expertise, highlighting how an academic center and a pharmaceutical company can strategically work together to advance innovative therapies for patients with cancer.”
MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division is anchored by an experienced team of drug development experts working to advance the next generation of cancer therapies. The Translational Research to Advance Therapeutics and Innovation in Oncology (TRACTION) platform, led by Heffernan, performs cutting-edge translational research to rapidly advance new therapies to the patients most likely to benefit.
KRAS is the most frequently mutated cancer-causing oncogene. One in seven of all human metastatic cancers expresses KRAS mutations, with mutation rates of more than 30 percent in lung adenocarcinomas, more than 40 percent in colorectal cancers and more than 90 percent in pancreatic cancers. No approved treatments for KRAS-driven cancers exist currently, further underscoring the need for continued investment in research and development. Tumor cell-selective activation of TRAILR2 can trigger cancer cell death in indications of high medical need, including lung and gastrointestinal malignancies.
Intended Audiences
This press release is issued from our corporate headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where we do business.
Disclosures
MD Anderson has an institutional financial conflict of interest with Boehringer Ingelheim related to this research and has therefore implemented an Institutional Conflict of Interest Management and Monitoring Plan.
Please click on the following link for ‘Notes to Editors’ and ‘References’:
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/expanded-collaboration-md-anderson
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210414005484/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
The UAE’s Higher Colleges of Technology Celebrates Record Graduating Cohort of More Than 6,70010.11.2026 13:18:00 CET | Press release
Class of 2026 43% larger than the previous year as HCT expands applied and vocational educationHCT redesigns applied bachelor’s programmes to include a full year of workplace learning Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) – one of the largest applied higher education institutions in the region – has celebrated its biggest graduating cohort to date, with more than 6,700 graduates from the 2025-2026 academic year, with the graduating cohort some 43% larger than the previous year’s. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110846231/en/ More than 12,000 people attended HCT’s biggest graduating cohort to date (Photo: AETOSWire) More than 12,000 people gathered at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi for the ceremony, held under the theme “Strong Roots. Lasting Impact.”, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and founder of HCT. Also attending were His Excellen
FDA Approves Promega OncoMate® MSI Dx Analysis System as Companion Diagnostic for KEYTRUDA® in MSI-High Solid Tumors10.11.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Promega OncoMate® MSI Dx Analysis System designed to identify patients with microsatellite high (MSI-H) solid tumors as a companion diagnostic designed for KEYTRUDA®, Merck’s (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada) anti-PD-1 therapy. OncoMate® MSI Dx Analysis System is a PCR-based assay designed to evaluate MSI status in solid tumor tissue. MSI status can be used to inform treatment decisions and support precision oncology strategies. “This approval reflects our dedication to providing meaningful diagnostic advances, developed to the highest quality and regulatory standards,” says Alok Sharma, Global Clinical Market Director at Promega. “Our test connects patients with the therapy most likely to help them, working alongside our pharmaceutical collaborators and the clinicians who use the result.” This approval was supported through a collaboration with Merck, which markets KEYTRUDA®. Together, the companies are working to a
Component Sense Celebrates 25 Years With Over 80 Million Electronic Components Saved From Landfill10.11.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Global electronics redistribution company marks its anniversary by planting 2,500 trees Component Sense, a global company specialising in the redistribution of excess and obsolete electronic components, has now saved over 80 million components from landfill. The milestone coincides with its 25th anniversary this November, which it is marking by planting 2,500 trees with One Tree Planted. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110298637/en/ Kenny McGee, CEO and Founder, Component Sense The company redistributes excess components from Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers to a global network of buyers, helping manufacturers recoup value from inventory that would otherwise go to waste. Excess inventory is both a financial and an environmental burden for electronics manufacturers. With lead times still running long, shortages and surpluses exist side by s
Suzano Publishes First Report Aligned With Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures Recommendations10.11.2026 12:18:00 CET | Press release
Report offers insight on Suzano’s ecosystem health impacts, risks and opportunities, and reinforces its nature strategy Suzano, the world’s largest pulp producer, has published its first report aligned with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The TNFD reporting framework helps organizations identify and assess how their dependencies and impacts may generate nature and biodiversity related risks and opportunities, and to disclose how they are integrated into the company’s governance, strategy, and corporate management. Initially focused on Suzano’s direct Brazilian operations, the report establishes methodological foundations, strengthens internal capabilities, and creates a pathway for the gradual expansion of nature-related assessments and disclosures over the coming years. The report also reinforces Suzano’s Nature Strategy, launched in November 2025. As part of its ongoing commitment to stronger management and greater transparency reg
Robbyant Releases LingBot-Touch to Bring General-Purpose Touch Perception to Robots10.11.2026 10:23:00 CET | Press release
Robbyant, an embodied AI company within Ant Group, today announced the open-source release of LingBot-Touch, a tactile foundation model that gives robots a critical missing sense by enabling robust touch perception. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261109284905/en/ LingBot-Touch encodes magnetic tactile, visual tactile, and piezoresistive signals into unified tactile tokens for use by different action models. Pre-trained on nearly 5,000 hours of real-world tactile data, the model covers three mainstream sensing modalities—magnetic tactile, visual tactile, and piezoresistive sensing—and translates their diverse signals into a unified tactile representation. This allows different dexterous hands and action models to share and reuse tactile understanding, enabling robots to not only “see clearer” and “think deeper,” but also “feel sharper” during fine manipulation tasks, such as turning pages, unscrewing bottle ca
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom