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The program targets the protein vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1), which is involved in the cell's response to DNA damage and control of cell division. Elevated levels of VRK1 are correlated with poorer survival in a variety of cancers. VRK1 has also been identified as a possible target protein in cancers that have low levels of the related protein VRK2, such as glioblastoma and neuroblastoma.
In August 2023, Sprint Bioscience licensed the global rights to the VRK1 program to Day One Biopharmaceuticals Inc. In May 2025, the company informed that the licensee Day One Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (Day One), has announced that the two-year research agreement entered into in August 2023 for the VRK1 cancer program is not extended and that Day One does not intend to continue to operate the VRK1 program after the expiry of the agreement. This means that Sprint Bioscience will take back the program.
One of the characteristic features of cancer is its ability to evade the attacks of the immune system. Recent advances in cancer treatment have been the introduction of immunotherapies, drugs that boost the activity of the immune system to fight cancer. However, there is a large proportion of patients who do not respond to this type of treatment. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop new immunomodulatory drugs that can both increase the efficacy of existing therapies and also make insensitive tumors treatable.
Sprint Bioscience was the first in the world to show that small molecules that inhibit the VpS34 protein lead to increased infiltration of immune cells into the tumor. This is a relatively newly discovered mechanism and we aim to be first-in-class with inhibitors of this protein. The increased infiltration of immune cells inhibits tumor growth and has been shown to increase the efficacy of other immuno-oncology drugs. Patients who respond poorly to immuno-oncology treatment today have been shown to have low immune cell infiltration in the tumor.
MASH (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) is a serious liver disease for which there is currently no treatment. In our MASH program, we are working on a novel mechanism of action and target protein, STK25, which is involved in fat deposition in liver and other tissues, inflammatory response and fibrosis in MASH. This gives us the opportunity to develop treatments that can slow down the progression of both early and late stages of MASLD (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease)/MASH, either as monotherapy or in combination with other MASH drugs.
The MASH program was out-licensed to LG Chem in 2019 and a preclinical in vivo proof-of-concept study was conducted in late 2022. The purpose of the study was to study the long-term effect of the new promising compounds developed in the program. The results showed a reduction in all the parameters used to diagnose MASH and also a reduction in fibrosis in the liver. The study was conducted in a well-established MASH model and was performed in an external European laboratory. Despite these promising results, LG Chem announced in May 2023 that it does not intend to continue the MASH program. The program therefore reverts to Sprint Bioscience, with no financial obligations to LG Chem.
In June 2025, a research collaboration with the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC) in Singapore was initiated to expand the MASH program to inflammatory diseases. In mid-April 2026, the strategic evaluation was completed. The collaboration, initiated and funded by the EDDC, aimed to investigate whether compounds from the program could also be used for additional therapeutic areas. Although the results did not support moving on to another inflammatory indication, the collaboration generated valuable scientific insights. These insights further strengthen Sprint Bioscience's understanding of the program and consolidate the company's strategic focus on MASH as the lead indication.
The NNMT program aims to develop drugs that inhibit the NNMT protein.
Solid tumors:
An important aspect of tumor development is that cancer cells can influence their own environment to facilitate tumor growth. This environment is called the tumor microenvironment and is different from the environment around healthy cells in the body. The ability of cancer cells to reprogram healthy cells in the tumor facilitates tumor growth and can prevent the body's immune system from attacking the tumor. NNMT is a protein that has been shown to be important for this reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment. Sprint Bioscience is developing inhibitors of this target protein to block the growth of cancer cells while increasing the ability of the immune system to attack them. High levels of this target protein have been found in tumors from glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer, among others, and patients with high levels of this protein have a poorer survival prognosis.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD):
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often caused by diabetes or high blood pressure and is one of the most common reasons for kidney transplantation worldwide. CKD is a long-term and often progressive impairment of kidney function, caused by factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, there are currently no treatments that directly address the underlying disease mechanisms, including fibrosis (scarring) of the kidney tissue. Existing care focuses mainly on slowing the progression by controlling blood pressure and blood sugar. There is thus a strong medical need for new treatments that can reduce fibrosis, preserve kidney function and thus prevent or delay the need for dialysis and transplantation.
AML is a serious type of blood cancer. There is an urgent medical need to identify safe and effective therapies to improve treatment outcomes. The DCPS program focuses on a target protein that degrades a metabolite formed during the natural degradation of mRNA. Both small molecule inhibition and genetic inactivation of DCPS affect differentiation and proliferation of several AML cell lines as well as patient samples, in addition, healthy tissue shows little impact of DCPS inhibition. This creates opportunities to offer AML patients a safe and effective treatment option. Sprint Bioscience has identified biomarkers that can predict the effect of DCPS inhibition, providing the opportunity for clinical success by reaching the patients most likely to respond to treatment.