Blackstone Life Sciences Announces a Co-Funding Agreement for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Key Terms

acute myeloid leukemia medical

A fast‑moving blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cell production, leaving the body short of normal red cells, white cells and platelets. It matters to investors because the disease creates urgent medical need, drives demand for new diagnostics and treatments, and so clinical trial results, regulatory decisions and drug pricing can rapidly change the commercial prospects and valuation of companies working on therapies.

AML medical

AML stands for anti-money laundering — the laws, rules and internal checks that banks and businesses use to spot and stop illicit cash flows, such as proceeds from crime or funding of illegal activities. Think of it as a security checkpoint for money: investors care because poor AML controls can lead to heavy fines, frozen assets and reputational harm that hurt profits and share value, while strong controls reduce legal and operational risk.

menin inhibitor medical

A menin inhibitor is a type of experimental drug that blocks the action of a protein called menin, which some cancers use to keep growing. Think of it as flipping off a switch that cancer cells rely on to survive; by doing so, these drugs can slow or stop tumor growth. Investors watch menin inhibitors because clinical trial results, regulatory approvals, and market demand determine whether they become valuable cancer treatments and potential revenue drivers.

hematologic malignancies medical

Hematologic malignancies are types of cancers that start in the blood or the organs responsible for blood production, like the bone marrow and lymph nodes. They matter because they can disrupt normal blood functions, leading to issues like weakness, infections, or abnormal growths, and often require specialized treatments.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blackstone Life Sciences (“BXLS”) today announced a research and development funding agreement to advance the clinical development of bleximenib (JNJ-75276617), an investigational oral menin inhibitor, for acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”). AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults, yet continues to be extremely challenging to treat, with the lowest survival of all leukemia types.

Johnson & Johnson and funds managed by BXLS will jointly finance a portion of the ongoing and future clinical trials of bleximenib in AML. This is the first time that BXLS and Johnson & Johnson have entered into a co-funding agreement.

“We believe that bleximenib’s promising clinical data, combined with Johnson & Johnson’s deep expertise in hematologic malignancies, create a strong foundation to address critical gaps in patient care,” said Dr. Nicholas Galakatos, Global Head of BXLS. “We are excited by this agreement with Johnson & Johnson, furthering our network of global leaders to accelerate innovation across the life sciences sector.”

“As an aggressive, fast-progressing blood cancer with high relapse rates, there is an urgent need for better, more tolerable treatment options for patients living with AML. Our mission is to help leaders like Johnson & Johnson advance the promise of innovative medicines like bleximenib and bring them to patients across the globe,” added Dr. Ari Brettman, Senior Managing Director, BXLS.

About Bleximenib (JNJ-75276617)
Bleximenib is an investigational oral menin inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed or refractory AML. It targets a key oncogenic interaction between menin and KMT2A proteins, disrupting a pathway that drives leukemic cell growth in patients with KMT2A gene rearrangements or NPM1 gene mutations.

Bleximenib is currently being investigated in Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials, either as a monotherapy or in combination with AML-directed therapies to further explore its potential in both relapsed or refractory and newly diagnosed AML settings.

About Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive, fast-progressing blood cancer with high relapse rates and especially poor outcomes for older patients or those with high-risk genetic profiles with KMT2A gene rearrangements – highlighting the urgent need for better, more tolerable treatment options. The disease is the most common acute leukemia in adults yet continues to be an extremely challenging blood cancer to treat with the lowest survival rate of all leukemias. AML progresses rapidly and without prompt treatment patients can die within months.

About Blackstone Life Sciences
Blackstone Life Sciences (BXLS) is an industry-leading private investment platform with capabilities to invest across the life cycle of companies and products within the key life science sectors. By combining scale investments and hands-on operational leadership, BXLS helps bring to market promising new medicines and medical technologies that improve patients’ lives and currently has $15 billion in assets under management.

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Blackstone

David Vitek

(212) 583-5291

david.vitek@blackstone.com

Source: Blackstone