Gilead Sciences, Inc., headquartered in Foster City, US, signed an exclusive global license agreement with Genhouse Bio Co., Ltd., based in Suzhou, China, for the development and commercialization of GH31. As per a notification from Genhouse, the Chinse biotech will grant Gilead exclusive global rights GH31, an investigative small molecule drug designed for synthetic lethal oncology applications.

Gilead will pay Genhouse an upfront payment of USD 80 million and commits to up to USD 1.45 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments. The agreement also includes provisions for tiered double-digit royalties on any future net product sales. Gilead assumes sole responsibility for all global development, regulatory filings, and commercialization activities moving forward.

Deal context

GH31 is a potent inhibitor of methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A), a target utilized in synthetic lethal therapeutic strategies for tumors harboring methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) deletions. MTAP deficiency occurs in approximately 15% of all human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and bladder cancer. By inhibiting MAT2A, the molecule reduces levels of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), leading to the selective inhibition of PRMT5 activity and subsequent DNA damage and cell death in MTAP-deleted cancer cells. GH31 has received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from both the US FDA and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The asset is positioned to enter Phase I clinical trials to evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy in patients with MTAP-deleted solid tumors.

The acquisition of GH31 is the latest in a string of recent oncology-focused licensing activities by Gilead, and adds to the firm’s involvement in synthetic lethality research following a USD 30 million December 2025 deal with Repare Therapeutics to acquire RP-346, an inhibitor of polymerase theta (Polθ) ATPase, a synthetic lethality target associated with BRCA mutations and other genomic alterations. Other recent oncology-focused deals by Gilead include the March 2024 research collaboration with Merus N.V. to discover trispecific antibodies and a Q4 2023 agreement with Compugen for an IL-18 binding protein program.

The competitive landscape for MAT2A inhibitors currently includes several clinical-stage assets:

  • IDE397 (Ideaya Biosciences): Phase II monotherapy expansion in NSCLC and urothelial cancer; Phase I/II combination with Trodelvy
  • MRTX1719 (Bristol Myers Squibb): Phase I/II expansion in patients with advanced solid tumors
  • AMG 193 (Amgen): Phase II trials in NSCLC; Phase I/II combination studies with MAT2A inhibitors
  • AG-270 (Servier): Phase I clinical evaluation in advanced solid tumors or lymphomas