New Acute Myeloid Leukemia Hope: Amgen Acquires Dark Blue Therapeutics

Amgen, a Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant, has acquired Dark Blue Therapeutics Ltd., a privately held biotechnology company based in the United Kingdom, advancing first-in-class, small molecule-targeted protein degraders for oncology, through a transaction valued at up to $840 million. The investment adds to Amgen’s portfolio an investigational small molecule that targets and degrades proteins that drive specific types of acute myeloid leukemia, a fast-growing blood cancer.

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“Acute myeloid leukemia remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and we see an urgent need for new mechanisms capable of changing the trajectory of this disease,” said Jay Bradner, M.D., executive vice president of research and development at Amgen, in a statement. “This acquisition complements and extends our research in targeted protein degradation and leukemia therapeutics, advancing our strategy to invest early in rising medicines for novel therapeutic targets.”

The acquisition was attractive because it focuses on medicines with AML. Preclinical data in leukemia models demonstrate promising anti-cancer activity and mechanistic differentiation from currently available therapies, establishing the rationale for single-agent and combination use. Amgen is expected to integrate Dark Blue Therapeutics into its existing research organization, further strengthening its early oncology discovery efforts.

Amgen was founded in 1980 and has expanded to treat cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and rare diseases. It employs 28,000 people worldwide and generated $33.4 billion in revenue in 2024.

Information for this article was sourced from Amgen.