Ikena Oncology Provides Research & Development Update on IK-930 Program Targeting the Hippo Pathway
18 Oktober 2022 - 1:30PM
Ikena Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKNA, “Ikena”), a targeted oncology
company forging new territory in patient-directed cancer treatment,
today provided a research & development update on the Company’s
lead targeted oncology program in TEAD inhibition. Ikena also
announced a clinical trial collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca
(LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) for the evaluation of TAGRISSO®
(osimertinib), a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor
(EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in combination with Ikena’s
IK-930 as treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated (EGFRm)
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
TEAD consists of a family of transcription factors that is
comprised of multiple paralogs, variations of the same gene with
slightly different functions. IK-930 is a paralog-selective TEAD
inhibitor designed to maximize both efficacy and safety and is
currently being studied as a monotherapy in a first-in-human Phase
1 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors
(NCT05228015), including NF2-deficient malignant mesothelioma, for
which the FDA granted Fast Track designation earlier this year.
“Patients with Hippo-altered cancers are in need of therapies
that are effective, safe, and significantly improve their quality
of life. IK-930 is specifically designed as a paralog-selective
TEAD inhibitor that has the potential to provide patients with a
differentiated treatment option,” said Mark Manfredi, PhD, Chief
Executive Officer of Ikena. “As a first in its class, IK-930’s
selectivity profile has potential to distinguish itself not only as
a monotherapy, but in combination with other targeted therapies
where resistance has emerged. I am thrilled AstraZeneca shares in
this vision and that we will be exploring IK-930 in combination
with osimertinib.”
The ongoing IK-930 clinical trial has planned cohorts exploring
combinations with targeted therapies in which treatment-induced
activation of the Hippo pathway may drive resistance. The first
combination cohort will be evaluating IK-930’s potential to
overcome resistance to EGFR inhibitors. In EGFRm NSCLC, only 50% of
patients who develop resistance to osimertinib have potentially
identifiable and actionable mechanisms with available therapies,
leaving 50% without clear treatment options, representing a
significant unmet need. Preclinical results demonstrate that IK-930
combined with osimertinib results in increased induction of
apoptosis and improved anti-tumor activity in multiple EGFRm tumor
models. This benefit is mediated in part by the Hippo pathway’s
role in the proliferation of persister cells, a subpopulation of
cancer cells that drive EGFR resistance through TEAD-mediated
induction of genes involved in cell cycle re-entry, DNA replication
and apoptosis avoidance. Under the clinical trial collaboration
agreement AstraZeneca will provide Ikena with osimertinib
non-exclusively for evaluation in combination with IK-930 in
patients with EGFRm resistant NSCLC.
“Expanding the number of patients that could benefit from
targeted oncology treatments is an important goal for our team. We
believe that targeted oncology has incredible potential as a
monotherapy for a portion of patients as well as in combination for
patients that experience therapeutic resistance. By understanding
the mechanism in which cancers resist therapies, we can create
combination regimens that block key compensatory survival
pathways,” commented Jeffrey Ecsedy, PhD, Chief Development Officer
of Ikena. “The Hippo pathway is implicated in therapeutic
resistance to multiple therapies, including osimertinib. Working
with AstraZeneca will allow us to investigate how IK-930 could
benefit patients with EGFR mutated cancers who have had difficulty
responding to current treatments alone and demonstrate how
combination with IK-930 could potentially enable deeper and
prolonged anti-tumor responses.”
Ikena Oncology continues to remain focused on developing
therapies that target the underlying mechanisms driving cancer
survival and growth through an integrated approach leveraging
translational science, drug discovery and cancer biology to address
unmet patient needs. Further data on the effectiveness and
differentiation of IK-930 in multiple animal models both as a
monotherapy and in combination with other targeted therapies will
be presented at upcoming conferences, and initial clinical data
from the first in human Phase 1 study are expected in 2023.
About IK-930IK-930 is an oral,
paralog-selective TEAD inhibitor targeting the Hippo signaling
pathway. IK-930 binds to TEAD transcription factors and prevents
transcription of multiple genes that drive cancer progression. By
targeting the Hippo pathway, a key driver of cancer pathogenesis
that is genetically altered in approximately 10% of all cancer
types, IK-930 could have a differentiating impact across many
cancers with high unmet need. Ikena is advancing IK-930 both as a
monotherapy in patients with Hippo pathway mutated cancers and in
combination with other approved targeted therapies to combat
therapeutic resistance. IK-930 is currently being studied in a
Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy in patients with advanced
solid tumors with or without gene alterations in the Hippo pathway,
including NF2-deficient malignant mesothelioma, Epithelioid
Hemangioendothelioma (EHE) with documented TAZ/CAMTA1 fusion genes
as well as other solid tumors with either NF2 deficiency or with
YAP/TAZ genetic fusions (NCT05228015).
About Ikena OncologyIkena OncologyTM is focused
on developing novel therapies targeting key signaling pathways that
drive the formation and spread of cancer. The Company’s lead
targeted oncology program, IK-930, is a TEAD inhibitor addressing
the Hippo signaling pathway, a known tumor suppressor pathway that
also drives resistance to multiple targeted therapies. The
Company’s ongoing discovery research spans other targets in the
Hippo pathway as well as the RAS signaling pathway. Additional
programs targeting the tumor microenvironment and immune signaling
are in the clinic, including IK-175, an AHR antagonist, which is
being developed in collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb. Ikena’s
pipeline is built on addressing genetically defined or
biomarker-driven cancers and developing therapies that can serve
specific patient populations in need of new therapeutic options. To
learn more, visit www.ikenaoncology.com or follow us on
Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended,
including, without limitation, statements regarding: the timing and
advancement of our targeted oncology programs, including the timing
of updates; our expectations regarding the therapeutic benefit of
our targeted oncology programs; our ability to efficiently discover
and develop product candidates; our ability to obtain and maintain
regulatory approval of our product candidates; the implementation
of our business model, and strategic plans for our business and
product candidates. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,”
“should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,”
“estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target”
and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain
these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this
press release are based on management’s current expectations and
beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and
important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release, including, without
limitation, those risks and uncertainties related to the timing and
advancement of our targeted oncology programs; our expectations
regarding the therapeutic benefit of our targeted oncology
programs; expectations regarding our new executive officer; our
ability to efficiently discover and develop product candidates; the
implementation of our business model, and strategic plans for our
business and product candidates, and other factors discussed
in the “Risk Factors” section of Ikena’s Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended June 30, 2022, which is on file with the SEC, as updated by
any subsequent SEC filings. We caution you not to place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of
the date they are made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly
update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in
expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any
such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood
that actual results will differ from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements
contained in this press release represent our views only as of the
date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views
as of any subsequent date. We explicitly disclaim any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements.Investor
Contact:Rebecca CohenIkena
Oncologyrcohen@ikenaoncology.com
Media Contact:Gwen SchankerLifeSci
Communicationsgschanker@lifescicomms.com
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