Roche taps Flare for cancer partnership

Roche is partnering with 3-year-old start-up Flare Therapeutics to discover small molecules for cancer treatment. Roche will pay the Cambridge, Massachusetts–based firm $70 million up front. Flare could also earn $1.8 billion or more in milestone payments for preclinical work; Roche will be responsible for bringing any drug candidates through clinical trials. Launched in 2021 , Flare targets transcription factors involved in cancers including advanced urothelial cancer and other solid-tumor conditions.