CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, today presented a poster at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II detailing promising preclinical findings from the company’s HPK1 pipeline program.

Nimbus developed multiple selective small-molecule inhibitors of HPK1 using the company’s proven structure-based drug discovery engine. The lead compound, NMBS-1, displays very high selectivity against T cell-specific kinases and kinases in the MAP4K family and promising activity in in vitro and in vivo models. NMBS-1 enhanced IL-2 production from stimulated human T cells, alleviated PGE2-mediated immunosuppression of T cell activation, and enhanced IL-6 production, proliferation, and IgG secretion from B cells. In a mouse syngeneic tumor model, oral administration of NMBS-1 resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition, both as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-CTLA4.

“These data are further evidence that HPK1 inhibition is a potentially powerful approach to achieve anti-tumor immunity — and we’re very pleased that our small-molecule inhibitor displays the selectivity that has long been a challenge for drug makers in this space,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “We will continue rapidly advancing our preclinical studies, with the goal of initiating a first-in-human trial next year.”

The poster is titled “A Highly Selective and Potent HPK1 Inhibitor Enhances Immune Cell Activation and Induces Robust Tumor Growth Inhibition in a Syngeneic Tumor Model.”

The company will be hosting a webcast to further discuss these data on Thursday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. If you wish to attend the live webcast, please pre-register at https://bit.ly/NimbusHPK1Seminar. A replay of the webcast will be available at this link after the event.

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200622005120/en/