Kairos Pharma Bets on AI-Designed Drugs to Combat Lung Cancer Resistance

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 26, 2026 – Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Kairos Pharma, Ltd. (NYSE American: KAPA) has announced a significant strategic move to deepen its oncology pipeline, signing a term sheet to acquire two promising cancer therapeutics from Celyn Therapeutics, Inc. The proposed acquisition centers on a pair of highly specialized, clinical-stage assets designed to combat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by tackling one of the most formidable challenges in modern oncology: drug resistance.

The deal, if finalized, would grant Kairos worldwide rights to CL-273, a next-generation EGFR inhibitor developed with artificial intelligence, and CL-741, a c-MET kinase inhibitor ready for initial human trials. This dual-asset acquisition positions Kairos to develop a powerful combination therapy aimed at a patient population with substantial unmet medical needs, potentially reshaping the treatment landscape for a disease that remains a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

A Strategic Play in a Multi-Billion Dollar Arena

This move represents a calculated expansion for Kairos Pharma, a company whose mission is built around overcoming the mechanisms that allow cancers to evade treatment. The acquisition would significantly bolster its armamentarium, adding two small-molecule drugs to a pipeline led by its antibody candidate, ENV-105. By targeting NSCLC, Kairos is stepping into one of the largest and most competitive markets in oncology.

The market for kinase inhibitors, the class of drugs to which the new assets belong, was valued at over $60 billion in 2025. Specifically, the market for treatments targeting EGFR mutations—present in up to 50% of NSCLC cases in Asian populations and 10-15% in Western populations—is projected to reach $16.2 billion in 2026. The complementary c-MET inhibitor market is also experiencing explosive growth, with projections soaring from $2 billion to over $10 billion by 2030.

John Yu, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Kairos Pharma, highlighted the strategic importance of the deal. "We anticipate this acquisition will significantly expand our oncology pipeline with late-preclinical and Phase 1-ready assets in a multi-billion dollar market with substantial unmet medical needs," he stated. "With this acquisition, if completed, we will strengthen our armamentarium to reverse oncology drug resistance – by implementing therapeutics that specifically target resistance mutations that arise from targeting the EGFR receptor."

Kairos intends to leverage its established clinical infrastructure, including its collaboration with the prestigious Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, to accelerate the development of both compounds. "Importantly, our established clinical consortia on the West Coast... provides us with the clinical infrastructure and expertise to rapidly initiate and execute Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies for both compounds,” Yu added.

The Science of Overcoming Resistance

At the heart of Kairos Pharma's strategy is a scientifically validated approach to outsmarting cancer. For many NSCLC patients with specific EGFR mutations, targeted therapies known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can produce dramatic tumor shrinkage. However, these responses are often temporary. The cancer frequently finds an escape route, developing new mutations or activating alternative signaling pathways to resume its growth. One of the most common escape routes is the amplification of the c-MET gene.

By acquiring both an EGFR inhibitor (CL-273) and a c-MET inhibitor (CL-741), Kairos plans to block both the primary growth driver and the key resistance pathway simultaneously. This dual-inhibition strategy is not merely theoretical; it is supported by clinical evidence from studies like the SAVANNAH trial, which demonstrated that combining EGFR and MET inhibitors can extend progression-free survival for patients whose tumors have become resistant. The goal is to produce deeper, more durable responses and delay the inevitable progression of the disease.

Mechanistically, the combination of CL-273 and CL-741 is designed to overcome the compensatory signaling that drives this resistance. By pairing these two highly selective molecules, Kairos hopes to develop a best-in-class combination regimen that could become a new standard of care for this difficult-to-treat patient population.

AI-Powered Precision and a Wider Margin of Safety

The two assets from Celyn Therapeutics, a private biotech backed by life sciences investors OrbiMed and Torrey Pines Investment, bring a new level of innovation to the table. CL-273, the pan-EGFR inhibitor, was discovered using a proprietary AI-driven drug design platform. This advanced computational approach enabled the creation of a molecule with a highly desirable and differentiated feature: it is "wild-type-sparing."

This means CL-273 is engineered to potently inhibit the mutated EGFR proteins that drive cancer growth while largely ignoring the normal, or "wild-type," EGFR found in healthy tissues. This selectivity is critical. Many existing EGFR inhibitors cause significant side effects, such as severe skin rash and diarrhea, because they also block wild-type EGFR in the skin and gut. According to preclinical data, CL-273's precision offers a four-to-five-fold wider therapeutic window, suggesting a significantly improved safety profile and better tolerability for patients.

"Our proprietary AI-driven drug design platform has enabled the discovery of a highly efficacious, wild-type-sparing, pan-mutant EGFR inhibitor," said Nikolay Savchuk, Ph.D., CEO of Celyn Therapeutics. "This molecule offers a 4-to-5-fold broader safety margin than current competitive inhibitors."

CL-741, the c-MET inhibitor, is similarly designed for high selectivity, targeting tumors with MET alterations while minimizing off-target effects. Together, the two drugs represent a new frontier in precision oncology, where therapies are not only potent but also intelligently designed to maximize efficacy while minimizing collateral damage to the patient.

The Road Ahead: From Term Sheet to Clinical Trials

While the announcement marks a pivotal moment for Kairos Pharma, the journey is just beginning. The signing of a term sheet is the first major step, which must now be followed by the negotiation of a definitive agreement and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions before the acquisition is finalized. Should the deal close as anticipated, the path to the clinic is already mapped out.

CL-741 is described as Phase 1-ready, meaning it has completed the necessary preclinical work to begin safety studies in human subjects. CL-273 is in the pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) stage, having successfully completed key toxicology studies, with first-in-human trials projected to commence in 2026. Kairos's experience in advancing its lead candidate, ENV-105, through Phase 1 and 2 trials provides a strong foundation for executing these new development plans efficiently.

By pursuing this dual-target strategy, Kairos Pharma is not just acquiring assets; it is embracing a forward-looking vision for cancer therapy. The company is positioning itself to address the full lifecycle of a tumor's evolution—from its initial driver mutation to the mechanisms it uses to resist treatment—with a sophisticated, AI-enhanced therapeutic arsenal. For patients battling non-small cell lung cancer, this strategic gamble could one day deliver a powerful new form of hope.