Merck KGaA Launches Saturnus Bio; Announces Awards

Merck KGaA announced on June 23, 2026 that it is collaborating with Versant Ventures to launch the research-stage company, Saturnus Bio, for the development of treatments for rare genetic cardiomyopathies.¹ The focus of the partnership will be on next-generation precision cardiology using targeted gene modulation that addresses rare mono-genetic cardiomyopathies.

The partnership includes a build-to-buy structure with an upfront payment of $50 million from Merck KGaA, which will fund Saturnus’ research. Additional success-based preclinical milestones will also be included, and Merck has exclusive rights to acquire Sarturnus based on success-based earnouts.

“Through our partnership with Saturnus Bio, we aim to fast track the development of innovative therapies for genetic cardiomyopathies through precision cardiology, targeting the rare population impacted by these conditions,” said David Weinreich, MD, head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in a press release.¹ “By leveraging Saturnus' expertise and cutting-edge approach, we can build upon our armed antibodies capabilities and explore novel directions to rapidly bring new, targeted treatments to patients.”

“The launch of Saturnus through a foundational partnership with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany exemplifies Versant’s strategy of engaging with pharma to develop a new frontier of medicines in areas of important unmet medical need,” said Rick Dewey, MD, an entrepreneur-in-residence at Versant Ventures and CEO of Saturnus, in the release.¹ “The company is in strong position to accelerate development of its pipeline of first-in-class medicines for genetic cardiomyopathies.”

According to Merck, the collaboration is an important entry into a market that has no approved therapies for genetic drivers. It is part of the company’s broader strategy to enhance research and pipeline output and to focus on derisking through preclinical and early clinical testing.

Merck Grants Awards

Merck KGaA also announced on June 23 that it had awarded the 2026 Future Insight Prize to Prof. Dr. Vasilis Ntziachristos.² The €300,000 research grant was awarded to Dr. Ntziachristos for his work in non-invasive and continuous monitoring of human biology. Dr. Ntziachristos represents Spear, an optoacoustic and fluorescence solutions company in Munich and a spin-off of Helmholtz Munich and Technical University of Munich. Dr. Ntziachristos is also chair of Biological Imaging at the Technical University of Munich and the director of Bioengineering and director of the Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging at the Helmholtz Centre in Munich.

The Future Insight Prize honors scientists whose “work has the potential to enable groundbreaking innovations for humanity.”² According to Merck, Dr. Ntziachristos’ work has “fundamentally advanced” biomedical imaging using “optoacoustic approaches enable direct measurement of biological signals such as microcirculation, oxygenation and metabolic activity.” ²

“This year’s prize to Vasilis Ntziachristos recognizes a scientist who has advanced a fundamentally new approach to measuring the human body. His work combines light and sound in a way that overcomes long-standing limits of sensing,” said Kai Beckmann, chairman of the Executive Board and Group CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in a press release.² “This opens up access to a new layer of biological understanding. It could allow us to detect early metabolic changes before symptoms appear. At our company, we pursue the same goal: creating previously unseen combinations of science and technology and turning them into real-world applications.”

On June 24, 2026, Merck announced that its US and Canada life sciences business, MilliporeSigma, awarded Hiba Therapeutics the 2026 North American Advance Biotech Grant at the 2026 BIO International Convention.³ Hiba Therapeutics is a Boston-based company that is developing “a modular, programmable biologics platform that activates tumor-resident T cells to selectively target and eliminate cancer cells within the tumor microenvironment.”³

“Hiba Therapeutics represents the kind of bold, science-driven company the Advance Biotech Grant was designed to support,” said Sebastián Arana, head of Process Solutions for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in a press release.³ “Their TROIKA platform reflects a highly targeted approach with meaningful potential in solid tumors, and we are proud to help provide the technologies, expertise and process development support needed to advance promising science toward scalable manufacturing.”

The grant will allow Hiba to leverage MilliporeSigma’s products and technologies, as well as utilize the company’s experts and hands-on technical solutions. The resources will assist Hiba in scaling its processes and optimizing manufacturing.

References

1. Collaboration with Versant to Launch Saturnus Bio. Press release. Merck KGaA. June 23, 2026. https://www.emdgroup.com/en/news/merck-versant-launch-saturnus-23-6-2026.html
2. 2026 Future Insight Prize Goes to Spear’s Vasilis Ntziachristos. Press release. Merck KGaA. June 23, 2026. https://www.emdgroup.com/en/news/future-insight-prize-2026.html
3. MilliporeSigma announces Hiba Therapeutics as winner of 2026 North American Advance Biotech Grant. Press release. June 24, 2026. https://www.emdgroup.com/en/news/2026nabiogrant-24-06-2026.html