Gilead Sciences struck a deal to acquire a preclinical TREX1-targeting oncology program from Sprint Bioscience, paying $14 million upfront with potential milestone payments up to $400 million, industry reports show. The program targets TREX1, a DNA exonuclease implicated in tumor immune evasion, and aims to deliver novel immuno-oncology approaches. Sprint will retain some rights while Gilead gains the preclinical assets and development control. Gilead has been actively building its oncology portfolio and this acquisition fits its strategy of acquiring early-stage programs with immunomodulatory promise. The transaction highlights continued big‑pharma interest in early immuno-oncology mechanisms and the willingness to pay significant earnouts for differentiated preclinical assets.