AstraZeneca, Ikena Team Up against lung cancer

 Ikena Oncology has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca to evaluate Tagrisso (osimertinib) with Ikena's IK-930 as a treatment option for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, Ikena announced Tuesday.

Tagrisso is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Ikena's IK-930 is a novel TEAD inhibitor, which works by targeting the Hippo signaling pathway in patients with unresectable NF2-deficient malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).

IK-930 was granted Fast Track designation in June by the FDA for MPM patients. 

Currently, patients with NF2-deficient MPM are treated with a combination of standard-of-care options that include chemotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy and radiation. IK-930 could introduce a novel treatment approach to help patients affected with MPM, AstraZeneca stated.

Patients with NF2-deficient MPM account for 40% of worldwide mesothelioma patients.

“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, Ph.D., CEO of Ikena, in a press release.

According to the press release, the ongoing clinical trial will have planned cohorts to explore varying combinations of targeted therapies. One cohort will focus on IK-930's potential to overcome resistance to EGFR inhibitors. 

Of patients who have been treated with and developed a resistance to osimertinib, 50 percent  have actionable mechanisms and available therapies, but 50 percent do not. This leaves a large portion of the patient population without clear treatment options, which is what led to the joint effort between AstraZeneca and Ikena.

Preclinical results showed that when IK-930 was combined with osimertinib, the result was an "increased induction of apoptosis and improved anti-tumor activity in multiple EDGRm tumor models," Ikena stated in the press release.

As part of the agreement, Ikena will provide osimertinib "non-exclusively for evaluation in combination with IK-930 in patients with EGFRm-resistant NSCLC." 

https://www.biospace.com/article/astrazeneca-ikena-team-up-against-nsclc/