Syndax: HDAC double-play

With an exclusive license to IP covering the combined use of HDAC inhibitors and nuclear receptor ligands to treat cancer, a newly acquired selective HDAC inhibitor and $40 million in cash, Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc. believes it has carved out a unique and protected position in an already crowded space.

Syndax (Waltham, Mass.) was formed in 2005 based on an exclusive license to IP from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies covering the use of HDAC inhibitors in combination with nuclear receptor ligands to treat cancer. Researchers at the institute discovered that HDAC inhibitors are involved in the regulation of nuclear receptors, which means they can be used to increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to a range of anti-cancer agents...