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BOSTON - Genialis, a company specializing in RNA biomarkers, has announced the continuation of its partnership with Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Debiopharm. This collaboration is dedicated to creating a predictive biomarker for WEE1-targeted therapies, expanding on a 2024 agreement focused on identifying biomarkers within the DNA damage response ( DDR (NYSE:SITC)) space.
The WEE1 inhibitor, part of Debiopharm's drug pipeline, is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials. This investigational drug is being evaluated both as a standalone treatment and in combination with other therapies in international studies.
Dr. Luke Piggott, Principal Scientist at Debiopharm, emphasized the importance of developing effective biomarkers for patient selection in cancer treatments. Genialis is employing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and RNA-sequencing data to categorize patients likely to respond to specific therapies. This method has shown promise in early collaborations, aiming to deliver more precise and effective treatments.
The DDR field has seen success with the approval of PARP inhibitors for cancers associated with BRCA mutations. However, other DDR targets, including ATR, ATM, and WEE1, are still in the early stages of clinical trials and face the challenge of finding reliable biomarkers to guide clinical decisions.
Genialis is addressing this gap with its AI-powered "Supermodel," a large molecular model (LMM) capable of rapidly producing biomarkers for a variety of cancer drug targets. The model, trained on a vast array of RNA-seq samples, can stratify patient response, identify response and resistance mechanisms, and suggest potential combination therapies.
Rafael Rosengarten, Ph.D., CEO of Genialis, noted the critical need for predictive biomarkers in DDR therapy development. The Genialis Supermodel, which has been instrumental in their biomarker programs, is now being applied to DDR targets following its success with KRAS-targeted therapies. The collaboration with Debiopharm is expected to advance WEE1 therapies and explore other DDR targets.
In related news, Genialis recently entered a multi-year agreement with Tempus AI (NASDAQ: TEM) to validate new RNA-based biomarker algorithms using Tempus's multimodal dataset across different cancer types. Tempus, with a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, has shown impressive revenue growth of 32% in the last twelve months. According to InvestingPro data, the company has demonstrated strong momentum with an 8.86% return in the past week, though it remains unprofitable with negative EBITDA. Want deeper insights into biotech companies? InvestingPro offers exclusive financial health scores and detailed analysis for companies in the healthcare sector.
Genialis is scheduled to participate in the 8th Annual DDR Inhibitors Summit in Boston and will present an abstract with Debiopharm at the AACR Annual Meeting in April 2025. Tempus investors should note that the company's next earnings report is scheduled for February 26, 2025. InvestingPro subscribers have access to 8 additional exclusive tips about Tempus AI, including detailed analysis of its financial health and growth prospects.
This report is based on a press release statement.
In other recent news, Tempus AI reported a 30% annual revenue growth in 2024, with the fourth quarter alone seeing revenues of about $200 million, marking a 35% rise year-over-year. Despite falling short of analyst expectations, Loop Capital maintained a Buy rating on Tempus AI, albeit with a trimmed price target from $57.00 to $52.00.
Simultaneously, the company announced the national launch of its AI-enabled personal health concierge app, Olivia, designed to centralize patient health data and provide actionable insights. In addition, Tempus AI unveiled a whole-genome sequencing test, named xH, currently available for research purposes and aimed at enhancing personalized treatment for hematological cancer patients.
Piper Sandler and Stifel also adjusted their price targets for Tempus AI following the recent earnings report. While Piper Sandler raised the price target from $40 to $70 while maintaining a neutral rating, Stifel downgraded Tempus AI's stock from Buy to Hold but increased the price target to $65. These are among the recent developments for Tempus AI.
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