What Arcus Biosciences does

Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Hayward, California, founded in 2015 by Terry Rosen (CEO) and Juan Jaen (President). The company discovers and develops small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies targeting cancer biology, with a stated emphasis on rational, biology-driven combination therapies across mechanisms including HIF-2α inhibition (casdatifan), Fc-silent anti-TIGIT (domvanalimab), adenosine axis antagonism (etrumadenant, quemliclustat), anti-PD-1 (zimberelimab), anti-CD39 (AB598), and AXL inhibition (AB801). Arcus employs 501-1,000 people, trades on the NYSE under ticker RCUS, and is expanding an early-stage inflammation and immunology portfolio (AB102/MRGPRX2, TNF inhibitor, CCR6 antagonist, anti-CD89).

The company has no approved products and generates revenue almost entirely from collaboration agreements rather than product sales. Its 2020 collaboration with Gilead Sciences — expanded via a $320 million Gilead equity investment in January 2024 that raised Gilead's stake to 33% — provides co-promotion rights in the US and ex-US commercialization rights for several programs. Taiho Pharmaceutical holds regional rights in Japan and certain Asian territories (excluding China), and AstraZeneca sponsors the registrational PACIFIC-8 Phase 3 trial in Stage 3 NSCLC. Two Phase 3 TIGIT failures (STAR-221 in December 2024 and STAR-121 in April 2026) have triggered a strategic reset: Gilead elected not to make an option continuation payment, prompting a partial rollback of the 2020 collaboration, a ~10% workforce reduction, and a R&D pivot toward casdatifan and inflammation/immunology programs. FY2025 collaboration revenue was $247 million, with cash of approximately $1.0 billion and stated runway into 2H 2028.

Strategically, Arcus is repositioning around casdatifan, supported by a 45% confirmed ORR and 15.1-month median progression-free survival in late-line kidney cancer and a Goldman Sachs risk-adjusted peak sales estimate of $1.7 billion in clear cell RCC. A new Bristol-Myers Squibb clinical collaboration (June 2026) combines casdatifan with pumitamig in RCC. Capital formation in 2025 — a $150 million public offering in February and a $250 million public offering in October — combined with a $250 million Hercules Capital term loan facility (August 2024, $50M drawn at close) funds Phase 3 execution. The company's competitive position rests on differentiated molecular design (notably Fc-silent TIGIT and HIF-2α chemistry), a leadership team with deep prior pharma R&D experience, and a partner ecosystem with Gilead, Taiho, AstraZeneca, and BMS; its principal risks are TIGIT program failures, revenue concentration on Gilead, and execution risk on casdatifan pivotal trials.

Name

Arcus Biosciences

Legal name

Arcus Biosciences, Inc.

Website

https://arcusbio.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule and antibody cancer therapies — including casdatifan, domvanalimab, and adenosine-axis inhibitors — for oncology patients, with global development and commercialization through partnerships with Gilead, Taiho, AstraZeneca, and BMS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immuno-Oncology Therapeutics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

akta.pro primary industry

Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Therapeutic Enzymes & Enzyme Replacement Therapies (ERT) (HLAAAAAK), Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Cancer immunotherapy
• Monoclonal antibody therapy
• Small molecule inhibitors
• Immuno-oncology drugs
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayward

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Collaboration Revenue: Revenue from Gilead Sciences collaboration, including $320M equity investment and potential milestone payments. The company reported $247M full-year 2025 revenues driven primarily by its collaboration with Gilead.
2. Licensing and Milestone Payments: Revenue from licensing agreements including Taiho Pharmaceutical exercising option for exclusive license to casdatifan in Japan and Asia, with potential payments and royalties.
3. Future Product Sales: Once approved, the company will commercialize products directly in the US (with Gilead co-promotion rights) and through partners internationally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and intends to commercialize novel small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer. Its pipeline is built around multiple differentiated mechanisms, including Fc-silent anti-TIGIT antibodies, HIF-2α inhibition, adenosine axis blockade (A2a/A2b antagonism and CD73 inhibition), anti-PD-1, anti-CD39, and AXL inhibition, with an emerging inflammation and immunology portfolio.

Product overview

Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing best-in-class molecules and combination therapies for cancer treatment. The company's clinical pipeline includes multiple investigational candidates: domvanalimab (Fc-silent anti-TIGIT antibody), quemliclustat (CD73 inhibitor), etrumadenant (A2a/A2b adenosine receptor antagonist), zimberelimab (anti-PD-1 antibody), and casdatifan (HIF-2α inhibitor). The company is also developing earlier-stage candidates including AB598 (anti-CD39), AB801 (AXL inhibitor), and an emerging inflammation & immunology portfolio with AB102 (MRGPRX2 antagonist), TNF inhibitor, CCR6 antagonist, and anti-CD89. Arcus focuses on designing rational, biology-driven combination therapies that can be used together to improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domvanalimab Fc-silent anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody designed to block TIGIT and release the brake on immune cells to accelerate anti-cancer immunity. Engineered to avoid peripheral Treg depletion that can lead to autoimmune toxicities.
• Quemliclustat Small-molecule CD73 inhibitor that blocks the enzymatic conversion of AMP to adenosine, designed to prevent adenosine-mediated immune suppression and trigger cancer cell death.
• Etrumadenant Small-molecule dual antagonist of A2a and A2b adenosine receptors designed to free immune cells from adenosine suppression to fight cancer, with reduced blood-brain barrier penetration to minimize CNS side effects.
• Zimberelimab Monoclonal antibody that binds PD-1, a well-established checkpoint of anti-cancer immunity, used as a combination backbone in Arcus's clinical programs.
• Casdatifan Small-molecule HIF-2α inhibitor designed to provide deeper and more durable inhibition of the HIF-2α pathway for the treatment of clear cell renal cell carcinoma, with best-in-class potential demonstrated in late-line kidney cancer.
• AB598 Investigational anti-CD39 monoclonal antibody that blocks the CD39 enzyme to preserve ATP in the tumor microenvironment, boosting the ability of immune cells to target cancer cells.
• AB801 Investigational AXL receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to overcome AXL-mediated therapeutic resistance and reignite responses to standard-of-care therapies.
• AB102 MRGPRX2 small-molecule antagonist being developed for potential indications including atopic dermatitis and chronic spontaneous urticaria.
• TNF Inhibitor Small-molecule TNF inhibitor being developed for potential indications including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
• CCR6 Antagonist Small-molecule CCR6 antagonist being developed for potential indication in psoriasis.
• Anti-CD89 Monoclonal antibody being developed for potential indication in rheumatoid arthritis.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bristol-Myers SquibbcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Arcus announced a clinical trial collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb to evaluate casdatifan, an investigational HIF-2α inhibitor, in combination with pumitamig (a PD-L1/VEGFA bispecific immunomodulator) in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma).
• Taiho PharmaceuticalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2025Taiho Pharmaceutical exercised its option for an exclusive license to develop and commercialize casdatifan in Japan and certain territories in Asia, based on a 2017 collaboration agreement. Taiho also holds rights for domvanalimab, zimberelimab, quemliclustat, and etrumadenant in these regions. Taiho is operationalizing the ongoing Phase 3 PRISM-1 registrational study for quemliclustat and participating in the Phase 3 PEAK-1 registrational study for casdatifan.
• Gilead SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2024Gilead Sciences and Arcus have a broad strategic collaboration on immuno-oncology programs, particularly the TIGIT pathway therapies. In January 2024, Gilead invested an additional $320 million in Arcus, raising its ownership stake to 33%, and gained a seat on Arcus's board. The collaboration focuses on domvanalimab, quemliclustat, etrumadenant, and zimberelimab. Gilead holds commercialization rights outside the US (subject to Taiho's regional rights) and the companies share co-promotion rights in the US.
• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcus and AstraZeneca have a clinical collaboration on PACIFIC-8, a registrational Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating domvanalimab plus durvalumab (Imfinzi) in unresectable Stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer, where durvalumab is the standard of care. AstraZeneca is the sponsor of and is operationalizing this study.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Black Diamond Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing allosteric kinase inhibitors. Similar clinical-stage status, oncology pipeline, and small-molecule approach.
• Werewolf Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company developing engineered conditionally activated cytokines (PREDATOR platform). Comparable clinical-stage profile and immuno-oncology pipeline focus.
• Revolution Medicines: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing RAS(ON) inhibitors. Similar clinical-stage profile, oncology focus, and pipeline-of-novel-mechanisms thesis.
• Compugen: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing computationally-discovered drug targets and antibody therapeutics. Similar clinical-stage profile, oncology focus, and pipeline-driven valuation model.
• iTeos Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing TIGIT and adenosine pathway antagonists. Most directly comparable peer given shared TIGIT and adenosine axis programs (acquired by AstraZeneca in 2024).
• Erasca: Precision oncology company developing small molecule inhibitors targeting the RAS/MAPK pathway. Comparable clinical-stage status, oncology pipeline focus, and small-molecule modality.
• Cogent Biosciences: Clinical-stage oncology company developing kinase inhibitors for genomically defined cancers. Comparable clinical-stage status and oncology drug development focus.

Emerging players

• Schrödinger: Computational drug discovery platform with proprietary pipeline and partnerships. Adjacent drug discovery technology focus, though broader platform business model.
• Bolt Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing immune-stimulating antibody conjugates (ISACs). Adjacent oncology immunotherapy focus with novel mechanism platform.

Broad incumbents

• Mirati Therapeutics: Clinical-to-commercial precision oncology company acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2024. Relevant precedent for oncology-focused biotech valuation and strategic acquisition interest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arcusbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcus-biosciences
• Facebookfacebook.com/125981731572502

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arcus Biosciences