Chinese biopharmaceutical company CStone Pharmaceuticals (HKEX:2616) announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with US-based Kimia Therapeutics Inc, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for oncology and immunology, to advance the clinical development of a potential first-in-class asset targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway critical for solid tumour cell survival.

Kimia is advancing small-molecule medicines with its integrated ATLAS platform, a transformative approach to AI-driven drug discovery. Kimia is a portfolio company of The Column Group (TCG), a life sciences investment firm involved in building and investing in biotechnology companies from early-stage scientific innovation through clinical development and strategic transactions.

Under the collaboration, CStone will lead the Phase I clinical development of the asset in mainland China and Australia, applying its full-spectrum oncology clinical development and regulatory capabilities. Kimia will contribute the clinical supply of the asset, along with scientific guidance, product-related regulatory oversight and other agreed development support reflecting a co-development model built on each party's complementary strengths.

Kimia will reimburse CStone for the applicable clinical development costs and CStone is also eligible to receive milestone payments plus royalties on global net sales of the asset during the applicable royalty term.