Acrivon Therapeutics acquires ACR-525 from Aqilion
The acquired programs range from a Phase 2-ready oral inhibitor to a preclinical program, with no future transaction-related royalties or milestones.
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Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. completed its acquisition from Aqilion AB of the ACR-525 oral JAK1 inhibitor program, described as Phase 2-ready, and a preclinical PKCθ inhibitor program. The acquired assets include related intellectual property, data, regulatory filings and drug supply. Acrivon paid cash and has no further milestone or royalty payment obligations for the transaction. The transaction closed when the parties signed the asset purchase agreement, after approval by both companies’ boards.
The acquisition establishes immunology and inflammation as a strategic pillar alongside oncology. Acrivon says ACR-525 is based on two completed Phase 1 studies and targets eosinophilic esophagitis as a potential first indication, with a formulation designed for patients with difficulty swallowing. The company also identifies inflammatory bowel disease and other immune disorders as potential uses, alone or in combination. In its due diligence, Acrivon’s AP3 profiling compared ACR-525 with six approved JAK inhibitors and dupilumab; the company characterized ACR-525 as highly selective, with minimal off-target effects compared with approved JAK inhibitors.
Filing Explained
A separate agreement among Acrivon, Aqilion and LEO Pharma terminated all future ACR-525 royalty and milestone obligations previously agreed between Aqilion and LEO, resolving that earlier payment arrangement for the acquired program.
8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
JAK1 inhibitor medical
PKCθ inhibitor medical
Phosphoproteomics technical
eosinophilic esophagitis medical
PD biomarker-guided dose optimization medical
FAQ
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What royalty and milestone obligations were addressed in Acrivon’s ACRV acquisition?
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
On November 6, 2026, Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Aqilion AB, an unlisted Swedish public limited company (AB (publ); Sw. aktiebolag), registration number 556623-2095 (“Aqilion”), pursuant to which the Company has acquired Aqilion’s programs for the discovery, research and development of oral JAK1 inhibitors, including ACR-525 (formerly known as AQ280), and PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program, for the potential treatment of inflammatory or autoimmune diseases (collectively, the “Acquired Assets”), together with certain related assets (the “Transaction”). As consideration for the transfer of the Acquired Assets, the Company has paid cash, and the Company has no obligation to make additional payments, including milestone or royalty payments, in respect of the Transaction.
A copy of the press release announcing the execution of the Purchase Agreement and consummation of the Transaction is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Forward Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K includes certain disclosures that contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about the Company and its industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including statements regarding the Company’s future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties that are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K are made as of this date, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, among others, risks relating to the Company’s ability to successfully integrate and advance the oral JAK1 inhibitor ACR-525 and PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program; the potential safety, efficacy and therapeutic benefits of ACR-525 and the PKCθ inhibitor discovery program; the applicability and predictive capabilities of the Company’s Predictive Precision Proteomics (AP3) platform in immunology and inflammation (I&I); the possibility that pursuing I&I might require additional expertise and resource allocation; the timing, design, initiation and results of future clinical trials; regulatory requirements and approvals; and the possibility that preclinical findings or results from early-stage clinical studies may not be predictive of results in subsequent clinical trials. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
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Press Release, dated November 6, 2026 |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. |
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November 6, 2026 |
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/s/ Peter Blume-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D. |
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Name: Peter Blume-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D. |
Exhibit 99.1
Acrivon Expands into Immunology and Inflammation with Acquisition of Phase 2-Ready Differentiated, Oral JAK1 Inhibitor ACR-525, and PKCθ Inhibitor Preclinical Program from Aqilion AB
Asset acquisition establishes immunology and inflammation (I&I) as a strategic pillar alongside oncology, extending the company into autoimmune disease
As part of Acrivon’s due diligence, extensive AP3 profiling against approved JAK inhibitors and dupilumab revealed ACR-525 as a highly-selective, potentially best-in-class JAK1 inhibitor
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) targeted as first potential indication using a Phase 2-ready formulation of ACR-525 designed for patients with difficulty swallowing
The exquisite selectivity and oral availability of ACR-525 provides rationale for broad opportunity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and other I&I disorders as single agent and in combination with e.g. PKCθ, IL-23, and TNF inhibitors
Company to host webcast with distinguished key opinion leaders on November 10, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET
WATERTOWN, Massachusetts, November 6, 2026 – Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. (“Acrivon” or “Acrivon Therapeutics”) (Nasdaq: ACRV), a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing precision medicines utilizing its proprietary Generative AI-driven Phosphoproteomics AP3 (Acrivon Predictive Precision Proteomics) platform deployed for rational drug design and predictive clinical development, today announced that it has acquired ACR-525 (formerly known as AQ280), a Phase 2-ready, oral, highly selective Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor, and a protein kinase C theta (PKCθ) inhibitor preclinical program, from Aqilion AB (“Aqilion”). The acquisition establishes I&I as a strategic pillar for Acrivon alongside its oncology programs.
The transaction delivers on Acrivon’s previously communicated commitment to I&I as an expanded therapeutic area well-suited for its AP3 platform. The complex dysregulated, disease-driving signaling networks that underpin autoimmune and inflammatory disease lend themselves to AP3’s unbiased, pathway-level interrogation of drug activity inside the intact cell without relying on genetic alterations. Acrivon intends to use AP3 for identification of ACR-525-sensitive I&I disorders, optimal patient selection, PD biomarker-guided dose optimization, and clinical biomarker-based early endpoints. The PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program, which targets a kinase central to T-cell activation, adds depth to the I&I pipeline.
As part of its due diligence, Acrivon applied global AP3 phosphoproteomic profiling to quantify ACR-525’s drug-regulated cellular pathway effects against six approved JAK inhibitors and dupilumab. These analyses characterized ACR-525 as a highly selective, JAK1 inhibitor with minimal off-target effects compared to approved JAK inhibitors and broader cellular effects than dupilumab. This supports Acrivon’s view that ACR-525 has the potential to be a best-in-class JAK1 inhibitor. Given its high selectivity and oral availability, ACR-525 has potential in IBD and other immune disorders, both as a single agent and in combination with approved I&I therapies.
Based on two completed Phase 1 studies, and a formulation designed for patients with difficulty swallowing, EoE is targeted as first potential indication.
“This transaction is a pivotal step in expanding Acrivon’s AI-driven AP3 precision medicine platform beyond oncology establishing I&I as an additional strategic pillar for our company,” said Peter Blume-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer, president and co-founder of Acrivon. “As previously communicated, I&I is of high interest to us, given the high unmet need and general lack of recurrent genetic alterations. The ability of AP3 to quantify the cellular, disease-driving mechanisms without relying on genetic alterations and the wide usage of biopsies and biomarker-based clinical endpoints in I&I disorders, make AP3 particularly well-suited for this disease area. ACR-525 broadens our clinical stage pipeline as a promising Phase 2-ready I&I program with encouraging Phase 1 data, clinical evidence of selective JAK1 engagement, and one of two oral formulations purpose-built for patients with EoE, a devastating disease of rapidly increasing incidence. Longer-term, we believe ACR-525 has broad potential in IBD and broadly across autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We believe the PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program can be optimized through our AP3 platform and potentially developed as part of an effective combination strategy.”
Acrivon will host a webcast with EoE Key Opinion Leaders to discuss the ACR-525 and PKCθ inhibitor preclinical programs on November 10, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. A link to register for the webcast will be posted on the Acrivon website in the events and presentations section at: https://ir.acrivon.com/news-events/events-presentations.
In addition to Acrivon management, the KOLs expected to join the webcast are:
Transaction Details
Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement, Acrivon acquired Aqilion’s rights to AQ280 (now known as ACR-525) and the PKCθ inhibitor preclinical programs, including the associated intellectual property rights, data, regulatory filings and drug supply, for an undisclosed cash consideration without future royalties or milestone obligations. Concurrently, Acrivon, Aqilion and LEO Pharma entered into an agreement terminating all future royalty and milestone obligations on ACR-525 previously agreed to between Aqilion and LEO Pharma. The transaction was approved by the boards of directors of Acrivon and Aqilion and closed concurrently with the signing of the definitive agreement.
About Acrivon Therapeutics
Acrivon is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing precision medicines for oncology and inflammatory diseases utilizing its proprietary Generative AI-driven, Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform. The platform allows the company to interpret and quantify compound specific, drug-regulated pathway activity levels inside the intact cell in an unbiased manner, yielding terabytes of proprietary data and delivering rapid, actionable insights. The AP3 platform is comprised of a growing suite of powerful, internally-developed tools, including the AP3 Data Portal, converting multimodal data into structured data for generative AI analyses, including the AP3 Kinase Substrate Relationship Predictor and the AP3 Interactome. These distinctive capabilities enable the company to go beyond the limitations of traditional drug discovery, as well as current AI-based target-centric drug discovery and rapidly design highly
differentiated compounds with desirable pathway effects through intracellular protein network analyses and advance these agents into the clinic for streamlined development.
In its oncology pipeline, Acrivon is currently advancing its lead program, ACR-368 (also known as prexasertib), a selective small molecule inhibitor targeting CHK1 and CHK2 in a potentially registrational Phase 2 trial for endometrial cancer (EC). The company has received Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the investigation of ACR-368 as a monotherapy based on OncoSignature-predicted sensitivity in patients with EC. The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Device designation for the ACR-368 OncoSignature assay for the identification of patients with endometrial cancer who may benefit from ACR-368 treatment.
In addition, Acrivon is leveraging its proprietary Generative AI-driven Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform for developing wholly-owned, internally discovered, co-crystallography-driven pipeline programs. These include ACR-2316, a first-in-class, potent, selective WEE1/PKMYT1 inhibitor preclinically designed for superior single-agent activity. The Phase 1/2 study of ACR-2316 is advancing in a randomized dose expansion phase in AP3-predicted tumor types. Initial data has shown a highly differentiated, favorable safety profile primarily limited to only transient neutropenia. Clinical activity has been observed across multiple heavily pretreated, AP3-predicted tumor types, including a subject with a confirmed CR in squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a PR in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), as well long-lasting clinical benefit (over one year) observed in subjects with lung adenocarcinoma, tumor types not shown sensitive to current single-agent WEE1 or PKMYT1 inhibitors.
In addition, the company is advancing ACR-7280, its next AP3-enabled innovation program, a first-in-class, oral, highly selective CDK11 inhibitor development candidate, in IND-enabling studies. AP3 indication finding identified AML as a predicted sensitive tumor type, and in preclinical studies, ACR-7280 demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity and complete tumor regression in aggressive AML models.
In its immunology and inflammation pipeline, Acrivon has ACR-525, a Phase 2-ready, oral, highly selective JAK1 inhibitor with one of two formulations specifically designed for patients with difficulty swallowing, targeting EoE as a potential first indication. ACR-525 also has potential in IBD other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as a single agent and in combination. Additionally, the company has a preclinical PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program, an attractive target for T-cell-driven autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, with the potential to be developed in combination with ACR-525 and other I&I therapies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain disclosures that contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on Acrivon’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that
could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties that are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Acrivon undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, among others, risks relating to Acrivon's ability to successfully integrate and advance the oral JAK1 Inhibitor ACR-525 and PKCθ inhibitor preclinical program; the potential safety, efficacy and therapeutic benefits of ACR-525 and the PKCθ inhibitor discovery program; the applicability and predictive capabilities of Acrivon's AP3 platform in I&I; the possibility that pursuing I&I might require additional expertise and resource allocation; the timing, design, initiation and results of future clinical trials; regulatory requirements and approvals; and the possibility that preclinical findings or results from early-stage clinical studies may not be predictive of results in subsequent clinical trials. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in Acrivon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Acrivon intends to use its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. For more information, please visit www.acrivon.com.
Investor and Media Contacts:
Adam D. Levy, Ph.D., M.B.A.
alevy@acrivon.com
Alexandra Santos
asantos@wheelhouselsa.com