In an effort to strengthen its oncology portfolio, Amgen announced its acquisition of Dark Blue Therapeutics in a transaction valued upwards of $840 million.

A driving factor of the acquisition is Dark Blue's lead candidate DBT 3757, currently in IND-enabling studies, which represents a first-in-class therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), holding the potential to produce strong, broad and durable responses as an effective single-agent therapy.²

DBT 3757 is a small molecule therapy that targets and degrades two proteins (MLLT1/3), which drives specific types of acute myeloid leukemia and (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer, and has afavorable safety profile suggesting it could serve as a foundation for combination treatments earlier in the therapeutic course.¹

"Amgen has the expertise, resources and commitment to accelerate development of DBT 3757 to treat patients with acute leukemia, including those that do not respond to current standard therapies. With its world-leading capabilities in oncology and deep experience in developing, manufacturing, and commercializing novel medicines, we are confident that Amgen will build on our pre-clinical work to bring DBT 3757 to the patients who urgently need new treatment options," said Alastair MacKinnon, CEO of Dark Blue Therapeutics. "We extend our sincere thanks to the entire Dark Blue team for their dedication and hard work, and to our investors OSE, BMS, and Evotec, whose invaluable support has made this achievement possible."

What is included in the acquisition?

In addition to Dark Blue’s leading candidate DBT 3757, Amgen is also expected to acquire Dark Blue’s small molecule oncology pipeline while also planning to integrate Dark Blue Therapeutics into its existing research organization, along with advancing the company's early oncology discovery efforts.²

Craig Fox, Oxford Science Enterprises board representative, commented on the acquisition, saying, "As early supporters of Dark Blue, we are delighted to see the Company's lead candidate, DBT 3757, a targeted protein degradation therapeutic, reach this important milestone. From the outset, we believed that targeting MLLT1/3 represents a first-in-class therapeutic strategy for patients with AML and ALL, and the progress made to date has strengthened that conviction. The acquisition by Amgen, a world-leading pharmaceutical company, is a strong validation of Dark Blue's science, team, and vision. We look forward to seeing this promising therapy advance swiftly into clinical development and ultimately reach patients living with this devastating disease."

Amgen’s executive vice president releases a statement

"Acute myeloid leukemia remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and we see an urgent need for new mechanisms capable of changing the trajectory of this disease," said Jay Bradner, M.D., executive vice president of research and development at Amgen. "This acquisition complements and extends our research in targeted protein degradation and leukemia therapeutics, advancing our strategy to invest early in rising medicines for novel therapeutic targets. The adjacency of this program to our considered expertise in cancer biology will propel MLLT1/3-targeting medicines to clinical investigation for patients facing the challenging diagnosis of AML."

Sources

1. Amgen Acquires Dark Blue Therapeutics, Bolstering Oncology Pipeline Amgen January 6, 2026 https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2026/01/amgen-acquires-dark-blue-therapeutics-bolstering-oncology-pipeline
2. Dark Blue Therapeutics acquired by Amgen for up to $840 million Dark Blue Therapeutics January 6, 2026 https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dark-blue-therapeutics-acquired-by-amgen-for-up-to-840-million-302653962.html