Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for high number of new diagnoses each year. Current management is based on surgery followed by radiotherapy or chemotherapy, where treatment-induced fibrosis is a common complication associated with therapy. Since fibrosis is mostly driven by dysregulation of the Rho-ROCK signaling axis, researchers from Australia have investigated the potential of modulating ROCK2 with the small-molecule inhibitor RX-10616 for its potential antifibrotic effect combined with radiotherapy in patient-derived murine models of HNSCC.
Onchilles Pharma Inc. has obtained IND approval from the FDA for N-17350, enabling initiation of first-in-human studies in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study will enroll patients in the U.S. and Australia with advanced solid tumors.
Peptidream Inc. has announced a new radiopharmaceutical candidate targeting cadherin-3 (CDH3) for the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Zelluna ASA has submitted a clinical trial application (CTA) to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for ZI-MA4-1 (ZIMA-101), the company’s lead candidate. ZI-MA4-1 is a novel MAGE-A4-targeting T-cell receptor-natural killer (TCR-NK) therapy.
Ideaya Biosciences Inc. has received IND clearance from the FDA for the initiation of a phase I trial to evaluate IDE-034, a bispecific B7H3/PTK7 TOP1 antibody-drug conjugate.
In non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and various other cancers, mutations in nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) cause aberrant activation of NRF2 transcriptional activity, resulting in therapeutic resistance and poor survival.
Captain T Cell GmbH has successfully closed an equity financing round to support its T-cell receptor (TCR) T-cell therapies for solid tumors. The company’s autologous lead program, CTC-127, is a best-in-class TCR T-cell therapy targeting MAGE-A4-positive solid tumors and is expected to enter clinical trials in early 2027.
At the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, Frontier Medicines Corp. presented a first-in-class covalent activator of p53 Y220C with high potency and selectivity in restoring p53 tumor suppressor function.
Individuals with the inherited disorder Fanconi anemia cannot properly repair damage to their DNA, increasing risk of cancers such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
When used as monotherapy against tumors, small molecules that mimic the SMAC protein and thereby inhibit apoptosis are ineffective. The same is true for inhibitors of BET family proteins. If each therapy on its own does not work, what about the two therapies together?
