LA JOLLA, Calif., March 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc., (NASDAQ:KURA) a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for oncology, today reported fourth quarter and full year 2016 financial results and provided a corporate update.
“Our precision medicine approach continues to deliver results, and we are pleased to have achieved important milestones in each of our programs,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and CEO of Kura Oncology. “We are encouraged by the durability of responses observed in patients with HRAS mutant squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck treated with tipifarnib, and believe our data validate HRAS as a driver oncogene in that disease. In our Phase 2 trial in PTCL, we have observed initial signals of clinical activity and identified potential biomarkers, including genes that are expressed and/or altered, which appear to be associated with the activity of tipifarnib. In our Phase 2 trial of tipifarnib in lower-risk MDS, based on anecdotal evidence of hematological improvement observed in several patients, we have amended the study to evaluate further dose regimens in an effort to optimize those initial findings. With KO-947, our ERK inhibitor, we anticipate initiating the Phase 1 study, and through preclinical studies have identified potential development opportunities, including KRAS and BRAF mutant cancers and squamous cell carcinomas. We also selected a development candidate in our menin-MLL inhibitor program, KO-539, which demonstrates potent anti-tumor activity in certain preclinical models of acute leukemia.”
“Our precision medicine approach continues to deliver results, and we are pleased to have achieved important milestones in each of our programs,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and CEO of Kura Oncology. “We are encouraged by the durability of responses observed in patients with HRAS mutant squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck treated with tipifarnib, and believe our data validate HRAS as a driver oncogene in that disease. In our Phase 2 trial in PTCL, we have observed initial signals of clinical activity and identified potential biomarkers, including genes that are expressed and/or altered, which appear to be associated with the activity of tipifarnib. In our Phase 2 trial of tipifarnib in lower-risk MDS, based on anecdotal evidence of hematological improvement observed in several patients, we have amended the study to evaluate further dose regimens in an effort to optimize those initial findings. With KO-947, our ERK inhibitor, we anticipate initiating the Phase 1 study, and through preclinical studies have identified potential development opportunities, including KRAS and BRAF mutant cancers and squamous cell carcinomas. We also selected a development candidate in our menin-MLL inhibitor program, KO-539, which demonstrates potent anti-tumor activity in certain preclinical models of acute leukemia.”
