China-based GenHouse has entered into a global licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences for its synthetic lethality oncology project, GH31, a biomarker-driven inhibitor targeting MAT2A. Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead obtains exclusive global rights to develop and commercialise the candidate. In exchange, GenHouse will receive an upfront payment of USD 80 million and is eligible for up to USD 1.45 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestone payments, plus tiered royalties of up to the double-digit percentage range on net sales.

The GH31 project has already received investigational new drug (IND) clearance in both the US and China, enabling the immediate initiation of global clinical development. The candidate is designed to exploit synthetic lethality, offering potential application across multiple tumour types. Gilead will assume full responsibility for the worldwide development, regulatory submissions and future commercialisation of the asset.

According to PharmCube's NextBiopharm® database, deal-making activity in the MAT2A space has shifted to China this decade. Click here to request a free trial for NextBiopharm®.