SAPA-NE 2026: A preclinical assay pipeline to identify and optimize TBXT-targeted therapies in chordoma and other tumors

This research poster provides the rationale for drugging TBXT (Brachyury) and highlights CF Labs’ capabilities to enable discovery of new TBXT-targeted therapies. TBXT, which encodes the T-box transcription factor Brachyury, is not only a diagnostic biomarker but also a key driver and genetic dependency of chordoma. Functional genomics identified TBXT as the most selectively essential gene in chordoma. Groundbreaking research from the Structural Genomics Consortium solved the crystal structure of the TBXT DNA-binding domain in complex with DNA, revealing new binding pockets and enabling structure-guided small-molecule discovery efforts. Building on these advances, CF Labs has developed a suite of preclinical assays that combines biophysical and cell-based approaches to identify, characterize, and optimize new TBXT-targeted therapies. These capabilities are also supporting the TBXT Challenge and ongoing efforts to develop assays for TBXT degrader discovery.