France-based Enodia Therapeutics and the San Francisco-based biotech Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: KZR) announced that Enodia has acquired Kezar’s preclinical assets from its Sec61-based discovery and development program. The assets consist of small molecule inhibitors targeting the Sec61 translocon, accumulated over nearly a decade of research at Kezar.
Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Kezar will receive an upfront payment of USD 1 million. Kezar is eligible for additional payments upon achievement of development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones totaling up to USD 127 million. Enodia has also agreed to pay tiered royalties on net sales. No breakdown of individual milestone amounts was disclosed, and no equity component or territorial restrictions were described in the announcement.
Deal context
The Sec61 translocon is a protein-conducting channel in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane responsible for translocating newly synthesized polypeptides into the ER lumen. Small molecule inhibition of Sec61 disrupts the secretory pathway, preventing disease-driving proteins from maturing and reaching their sites of action. This approach to targeted protein degradation therapeutics operates at the point of protein synthesis rather than after proteins have folded and been released, distinguishing it from conventional degrader modalities such as PROTACs or molecular glues.
Kezar had previously advanced KZR-261, a Sec61 inhibitor, into Phase I before discontinuing the program in 2024. The firm also previously published preclinical data for KZR-540, an oral small molecule inhibitor of Sec61 designed to selectively block PD-1 expression. Enodia already has a specialist interest in the secretory pathway via its proprietary platform, which enables selective Sec61 translocon modulation. The company has built chemical space spanning multiple Sec61 inhibitor families, supported by proteomics, cryo-EM structural data, and cell line libraries designed for rational drug design informed by machine learning. Kezar Life Sciences retains its other pipeline programs, including zetomipzomib, a selective immunoproteasome inhibitor currently in clinical evaluation for autoimmune hepatitis. Kezar had previously paused internal research and drug discovery activities after failing to come to agreement with US FDA on a registrational trial for zetomipzomib. The divestiture of the Sec61 program is therefore consistent with the company’s narrowed operational focus. Enodia was launched in February 2025 by Argobio and the Institut Pasteur and closed a EUR 20.7 million seed financing round in January 2026 co-led by Elaia, Pfizer Ventures, and Bpifrance.