AstraZeneca and Heptares Therapeutics enter licensing agreement

AstraZeneca and Heptares Therapeutics entered into a licensing agreement under which AstraZeneca will acquire exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the adenosine A2A receptor antagonist HTL-1071, a small molecule immuno-oncology candidate.

AstraZeneca will focus on exploring HTL-1071 and any additional compounds across a range of cancers, including in combination with its existing portfolio of immunotherapies.

The companies will also collaborate to discover further A2A receptor-blocking compounds for development in cancer immunotherapy.

Heptares will receive an upfront payment of $10 million and is eligible to receive additional milestone payments based on agreed pre-clinical and clinical events. Subject to successful completion of development and commercialization milestones, Heptares is also eligible to receive more than $500 million as well as royalty payments.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

Table of Contents

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Podcast The Directors

The Directors: Wistar’s Altieri and ChristianaCare’s Petrelli say partnership of their institutions will go on as the guard changes

Leadership is changing at The Wistar Institute and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute in the months to come—but the leaders of the two institutions say that this will have little if any effect on the clinical-research collaboration that they have spent the past 15years building (The Cancer Letter, July 12, 2019).

March 27, 2026

Vol.52 No.12

By Sara Willa Ernst and Paul Goldberg

Clinical Trials & Tribulations

Early-onset cancer is on the rise. Here is how OSUCCC–James is adapting to the needs of younger patients

The incidence of multiple cancer types in people under the age of 50 has been rising, with early-onset cancers now contributing to nearly 15,000 excess cases of cancer in the U.S. annually.

March 27, 2026

Vol.52 No.12

By W. Kimryn Rathmell

Trials & Tribulations

In the era of immunotherapy, response rate alone fails to predict true patient benefit
Regulators must adapt

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It is a reminder of a heartbreaking trend that oncologists like me are witnessing in our clinics: Last year, for the first time, colorectal cancer became the leading cause of cancer-related death in Americans under the age of 50, according to data published earlier this year in JAMA.

March 27, 2026

Vol.52 No.12

By Richard M. Goldberg

Clinical

Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50
Why aren’t 45-year-olds getting their recommended CRC screenings?

Three decades ago, colorectal cancer was the fifth leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50 years old. For a physician treating the average 45-year-old, colorectal cancer was not a diagnosis that immediately came to mind.

Michael Bishop, Nobel-winning cancer researcher, dies at 90

UC San Francisco Chancellor emeritus J. Michael Bishop, a pioneering microbiologist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that every cell in the body harbors genes that can cause cancer, died March 20. He was 90.

March 27, 2026

Vol.52 No.12

By UCSF Communications Staff

Beyond the lab: Engineering collaboration in modern cancer research

Cancer research increasingly demands environments that mirror the biology it seeks to understand: Complex, adaptive and deeply interconnected. At Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, collaboration is not treated as an optional cultural trait but as a structural requirement.

March 27, 2026

Vol.52 No.12

AstraZeneca and Heptares Therapeutics enter licensing agreement

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The Directors: Wistar’s Altieri and ChristianaCare’s Petrelli say partnership of their institutions will go on as the guard changes

Early-onset cancer is on the rise. Here is how OSUCCC–James is adapting to the needs of younger patients

In the era of immunotherapy, response rate alone fails to predict true patient benefit
Regulators must adapt

Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50
Why aren’t 45-year-olds getting their recommended CRC screenings?

Michael Bishop, Nobel-winning cancer researcher, dies at 90

Beyond the lab: Engineering collaboration in modern cancer research

Renew today!

Subscriber content

Never miss an issue!

Login

AstraZeneca and Heptares Therapeutics enter licensing agreement

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The Directors: Wistar’s Altieri and ChristianaCare’s Petrelli say partnership of their institutions will go on as the guard changes

Early-onset cancer is on the rise. Here is how OSUCCC–James is adapting to the needs of younger patients

In the era of immunotherapy, response rate alone fails to predict true patient benefitRegulators must adapt

Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50Why aren’t 45-year-olds getting their recommended CRC screenings?

Michael Bishop, Nobel-winning cancer researcher, dies at 90

Beyond the lab: Engineering collaboration in modern cancer research

Never miss an issue!

Login

In the era of immunotherapy, response rate alone fails to predict true patient benefit
Regulators must adapt

Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50
Why aren’t 45-year-olds getting their recommended CRC screenings?