IMPACT THERAP-B (07630.HK): Nominates IMP2794 as preclinical candidate compound, first KAT6A-specific PROTAC from self-owned targeted protein degradation platform

NewTimeSpace News: On 12 August 2026, Impact Therapeutics, Inc (stock code: 07630) issued a voluntary announcement stating that the Company has nominated IMP2794 as a preclinical candidate compound (PCC). IMP2794 is a KAT6A-specific degrader PROTAC and the first PCC discovered through the Company's self-owned targeted protein degradation platform.

The announcement disclosed that IMP2794 is a potent and selective degrader of KAT6A with over 1,000-fold selectivity over KAT6B, demonstrating significant cytotoxic activity against tumour cells and very low haematological toxicity in vitro, as well as excellent in vivo anti-tumour efficacy in both sensitive and non-sensitive breast cancer CDX models. Notably, IMP2794 exhibits extremely high oral bioavailability across multiple rodent and non-rodent species, suggesting that desirable drug exposure may be achievable in humans.

In terms of the target background, KAT6A is a member of the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) MYST family that catalyses histone acetylation to promote an open chromatin state and activate gene transcription. The protein is highly expressed in various cancers, particularly in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. However, its homologue KAT6B shares structural and sequence homology with KAT6A, making selective inhibition of KAT6A difficult to achieve with conventional small-molecule inhibitors, while inhibition of KAT6B is associated with potential haematological toxicity.

The Company stated that this nomination marks the first PCC generated from its self-owned targeted protein degradation platform, validating the platform's technical maturity and output capability. The Company has established a degradation platform underpinned by an E3 ligase library and a linker library that enables rapid assembly of PROTAC molecules with excellent oral bioavailability, allowing selective and tunable degradation of previously undruggable targets to broaden the therapeutic window and reduce toxicity. The platform is mechanistically complementary to the Company's ADC platform and supports multi-dimensional exploration of cancer targets. The Company issued a warning under Rule 18A.05 of the Listing Rules that it cannot guarantee the eventual successful development, manufacture and/or commercialisation of IMP2794, and shareholders and potential investors are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the Company's shares.

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