Cancer Research UK and ORIC plan clinical development of CIP2A-targeted ORIC-259 — October 6, 2026
Published in Drugs development & discovery.
October 6, 2026 — Cancer Research UK announced an agreement with ORIC Pharmaceuticals to advance ORIC-259, an experimental cancer therapy targeting CIP2A, into early clinical development.
ORIC-259 is a small-molecule splice modifier described as an mRNA degrader directed against CIP2A, a protein involved in cancer growth and survival. Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development will fund, sponsor, design and conduct studies supporting a clinical trial application, followed by planned Phase 1/2 development.
The planned trial will assess safety, tolerability and preliminary antitumour activity. One potential application is BRCA-mutant cancer, where CIP2A has been identified as a synthetic lethal vulnerability. Researchers hope its different mechanism could help address resistance to PARP inhibitors, but this remains a development hypothesis.
ORIC retains an exclusive option to reacquire rights after Phase 1/2 data. The agreement establishes a development pathway; it does not report patient efficacy results, confirm trial enrolment or constitute regulatory approval.
Source: Cancer Research Horizons announcement, October 6, 2026.