Kairos Pharma has signed a binding agreement to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to CL-273 from Celyn Therapeutics, a company backed by OrbiMed and Torrey Pines Investment.

CL-273 is a reversible, investigational, wild-type-sparing pan epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) small molecule inhibitor developed using an AI-based drug discovery platform.

The asset specifically targets resistant mutations that arise during treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, addressing drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations.

The acquisition aims to expedite the development of next-generation targeted therapies for EGFR mutant NSCLC patients globally.

Kairos Pharma CEO John Yu said: “The signing of binding terms to acquire CL‑273  represents a pivotal step in building Kairos Pharma’s next generation of targeted therapies for EGFR mutant lung cancer.

“This transaction is expected to be value accretive. CL‑273’s AI-designed, wild-type sparing pan EGFR profile positions it as a potentially best-in-class asset in a large, fast-growing $16.2bn lung cancer market with significant unmet needs due to the development of resistance. Given its prestigious backing, we believe partnering with Celyn Therapeutics offers additional high-quality science to our existing pipeline.

“We believe in the rigour of the data package supporting CL‑273. We further believe that together with an OrbiMed-backed innovator, Kairos Pharma is strongly positioned to deliver a highly differentiated, potentially best-in-class, EGFR inhibitor to patients worldwide.”

Celyn Therapeutics contributes its experience in small-molecule oncology drug development.

D. Boral Capital served as the exclusive financial adviser for this deal.

Kairos Pharma’s lead candidate, ENV-105, is undergoing a Phase II clinical trial for castrate-resistant prostate cancer and a Phase I trial for NSCLC.

ENV-105 has not yet received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any other regulator.