Prelude Therapeutics Announces Acceptance of Preclinical Abstract for PRT13722, a First-in-Class Oral KAT6A Selective Degrader at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting
Rhea-AI Summary
Prelude Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PRLD) announced acceptance of a preclinical poster for its first‑in‑class oral KAT6A selective degrader, PRT13722, at the AACR Annual Meeting (April 17–22, 2026).
The poster reports complete tumor regressions as monotherapy and an improved preclinical hematological safety profile. The company selected a development candidate, expects to file an IND in mid‑2026, and plans to start phase 1 in H2 2026.
Positive
- Selected development candidate for PRT13722
- Preclinical complete tumor regressions reported
- Improved preclinical hematological safety profile
- Oral, highly selective KAT6A degrader design
- Targeted IND filing timeline: mid‑2026
- Phase 1 start planned in H2 2026
Negative
- PRT13722 remains preclinical with no human data
- IND not yet filed; timeline subject to regulatory risk
- Clinical safety and efficacy in humans unproven
News Market Reaction – PRLD
In the Mar 18 session, PRLD declined 9.04%, reflecting a notable negative market reaction. Argus tracked a trough of -14.0% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 17 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10 | Full-year results, pipeline | Positive | +16.5% | Reported 2025 results, cash of $106.4M and IND plans for PRT12396, PRT13722. |
| Feb 03 | IND clearance | Positive | +12.8% | FDA cleared IND for JAK2V617F inhibitor PRT12396 enabling Phase 1 MPN study. |
| Dec 06 | ASH 2025 data | Positive | +0.0% | Presented positive preclinical MPN data for PRT12396 and mCALR x CDK9 DACs at ASH. |
| Nov 12 | Q3 results, pipeline | Positive | +8.9% | Q3 2025 results with higher revenue, lower expenses and KAT6A/JAK2 IND timelines. |
| Nov 04 | Strategic update | Negative | -55.8% | Announced Incyte option deal, KAT6A prioritization and pause of SMARCA2 program. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent news, especially pipeline and earnings updates, often coincided with positive price moves, with one notable large selloff on a strategic update.
Over the last several months, Prelude has highlighted multiple pipeline and financial milestones. An IND clearance for PRT12396 and an IND plan for PRT13722 (news 1024542) preceded a +16.5% move. FDA clearance for PRT12396 (news 1007479) saw shares gain 12.81%. Financial updates in Q3 2025 (news 934322) also aligned with a +8.89% reaction. In contrast, a November 2025 strategic business update (news 928728) that included pausing a SMARCA2 program coincided with a -55.78% move. Today’s AACR abstract acceptance fits the ongoing KAT6A degrader narrative.
Key Terms
phase 1 medical
er+ breast cancer medical
targeted protein degradation technical
degrader antibody conjugates (dacs) medical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
WILMINGTON, Del., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated (Nasdaq: PRLD), a precision oncology company, today announced that a poster with preclinical data on the Company’s oral KAT6A selective degrader (PRT13722) has been accepted for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, taking place from April 17-22.
“We look forward to sharing additional preclinical data from our potent and selective first-in-class KAT6A degrader development candidate, PRT13722. We believe that our selective KAT6A degrader, with the potential for improved efficacy and tolerability in combination with other standard of care agents, has the potential to be a promising new therapy for patients with ER+ breast cancer. We expect to file an IND in the middle of this year and enter clinical trials in the second half of 2026,” stated Peggy Scherle, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Prelude.
Details on the poster presentation are as follows:
Poster Details:
Title: First-in-class potent and selective oral KAT6A degrader development candidate, PRT13722, drives complete tumor regressions as a monotherapy with an improved pre-clinical hematological safety profile.
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Proximity-Induced Drug Discovery 2
Session Start: 4/21/2026 2:00 PM
Session End: 4/21/2026 5:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 15
Poster Board Number: 20
Poster Number: 5793
Highly selective KAT6A oral degrader program
KAT6 is an emerging and recently validated target in the treatment of ER+ breast cancer. Prelude discovered and is developing first-in-class, highly potent, highly selective and orally bioavailable KAT6A selective degraders. The Company has selected a development candidate and remains on track to file an IND in mid-2026 with phase 1 study initiation planned in the 2nd half of 2026. Prelude believes that selectively degrading KAT6A has the potential for improved efficacy, tolerability and combinability with other agents relative to non-selective inhibitors of KAT6A/B and KAT7.
The Company presented initial preclinical data supporting this hypothesis at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025. The presentation can be found at Publications - Prelude Therapeutics.
Additionally, on April 18, 2026, Prelude’s Director of Biology and Translational Research, Norman Fultang, Ph.D. will be providing a lecture during an educational session entitled: ED08 – Chemistry to the Clinic Part 1 of 4: Next-Level Conjugates: Transforming Targeted Therapies. The title of the presentation is: “Beyond Conventional Payloads: Unlocking New Therapeutic Landscapes with Targeted Protein Degrader-Antibody Conjugates (DACs).”
About Prelude Therapeutics
Prelude Therapeutics is a leading precision oncology company developing innovative medicines in areas of high unmet need for cancer patients. Our pipeline features highly selective KAT6A degraders and JAK2V617F mutant selective inhibitors -- new approaches to clinically validated targets with transformative potential for patients. We are leveraging our expertise in targeted protein degradation to create and develop next generation degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) with novel degrader payloads. We are on a mission to extend the promise of precision medicine to every cancer patient in need. For more information, visit preludetx.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, anticipated discovery, preclinical and clinical development activities for Prelude’s product candidates, the potential safety, efficacy, benefits and addressable market for Prelude’s product candidates, the expected timeline for clinical trial results for Prelude’s product candidates, and the sufficiency of Prelude’s cash runway. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The words “believes,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “potential,” “likely,” “projects,” “continue,” “will,” “schedule,” and “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events and various assumptions. Although Prelude believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Prelude cannot guarantee future events, results, actions, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and the timing and results of biotechnology development and potential regulatory approval is inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause Prelude's actual activities or results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including risks and uncertainties related to Prelude's ability to advance its product candidates, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates, clinical trial sites and our ability to enroll eligible patients, supply chain and manufacturing facilities, Prelude’s ability to maintain and recognize the benefits of certain designations received by product candidates, the timing and results of preclinical and clinical trials, Prelude's ability to fund development activities and achieve development goals, Prelude's ability to protect intellectual property, and other risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Prelude’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that Prelude files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Prelude undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as may be required by law.
Investor Contact:
Robert A. Doody, Jr.
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated
484.639.7235
rdoody@preludetx.com
