Halda strikes $1B AI-powered deal with VantAI to fuel “hold-and-kill” cancer drugs

Halda is partnering with VantAI in a deal worth over $1B in upfront and milestone payments to identify tumor-specific and essential protein pairs for its novel RIPTAC oncology platform.

Why it matters: RIPTACs could expand cancer treatment options by selectively killing tumor cells while sparing healthy ones, potentially addressing drug resistance where traditional approaches fail.

Backstory:

• Founded by Yale’s Craig Crews, who pioneered the targeted protein degraders technology PROTACs, Halda is advancing a new class of degraders called RIPTACs (Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimeras).

• Unlike traditional inhibitors, RIPTACs bind a tumor protein to an essential protein, disabling the latter only in cancer cells.

• Halda raised $126M last year and is testing its lead candidate, HLD-0915, in prostate cancer trials.

Big picture:

• VantAI brings an AI-driven structural proteomics platform to identify the protein pairs RIPTACs need.

• The approach could broaden the cancer “proteome” accessible to drug developers, similar in ambition to antibody drug conjugates.

• With partners like Blueprint, BMS, and J&J, VantAI is emerging as a key player in next-gen targeted therapies.

What’s next: Halda’s first clinical test targets metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, exploiting tumors’ reliance on androgen receptors. A success could validate RIPTACs as a new therapeutic class beyond PROTACs and molecular glues.