Juno Therapeutics Inc.’s shares  rose more than 44 percent after news about the interest  of Celgene Corp.  to buy the Seattle-based drugmaker came out.  Juno Therapeutics Inc is a leader in the effort to use the immune system to treat cancer.

If a deal is reached, it would continue a recent string of acquisitions by Celgene, which is under pressure to find ways to offset generic competition for top-selling cancer treatment Revlimid.

Celgene, based in Summit, New Jersey, agreed last week to buy closely held Impact Biomedicines for $1.1 billion upfront, gaining an experimental blood-cancer treatment.

If the deal will be closed it would rank among Celgene’s largest-ever deals.

Read further: Bloomberg