KTX-2001 is Company's second selective inhibitor of NSD2 to enter the clinic
K36 to initiate first-in-human Phase 1 clinical study evaluating KTX-2001 as monotherapy and in combination with darolutamide in mCRPC patients
K36 is working with The Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) as academic CRO partner
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- K36 Therapeutics, Inc. ("K36"), a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel, targeted therapies for cancers with unmet medical need, today announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for KTX-2001, a selective, oral inhibitor of NSD2 (nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein 2), a histone methyltransferase and oncogene that activates gene expression in some cancers.
With this clearance, KTX-2001 becomes the second NSD2 inhibitor from K36 to advance into clinical development. This Phase 1 program will evaluate KTX-2001 both as a monotherapy and in combination with Bayer's androgen receptor inhibitor, darolutamide, for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) NCT07103018.
"We are proud to announce the FDA cleared the IND for our second clinical program, KTX-2001, on July 3rd. This achievement demonstrates our team's efficiency and focus on advancing KTX-2001 and positively impacting the lives of patients with mCRPC," said Terry Connolly, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of K36. "Along with this significant milestone, I am delighted to announce the Company has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Bayer for supply of darolutamide for the combination with KTX-2001 in our trial."
Under the terms of the agreement, K36 will conduct and sponsor the trial and Bayer will supply darolutamide. K36 maintains development and commercial rights to KTX-2001. KTX-2001 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of NSD2 that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors, initially mCRPC, and compliments K36's first clinical candidate, KTX-1001, that is being developed for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma patients with genetic translocation t(4;14).
Separately, K36 announced it has selected the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) as the Contract Research Organization (CRO) who will operationalize the KTX-2001 clinical program, STRIKE-001. "We are pleased to partner with K36 as its CRO. PCCTC has established a robust network of academic and community sites, and has significant expertise in managing innovative, multisite prostate cancer clinical trials and are uniquely positioned to support the efficient launch and execution of the STRIKE-001 trial," said Jake Vinson, CEO of the PCCTC.
Jason Redman, MD, Senior Medical Director at K36 Therapeutics and leader of the KTX-2001 prostate cancer program stated, "Targeting NSD2 inhibition as a first-in-class, oral therapy represents a fundamentally new approach to treating prostate cancer by modulating the epigenetic drivers of tumor progression. This novel mechanism is distinct from other epigenetic therapies and addresses the underlying biology in a new way. The STRIKE-001 Phase 1 trial marks an important step forward, bringing a promising new option to patients with limited treatment alternatives."
About KTX-2001
KTX-2001 is a small molecule, specific inhibitor of the nuclear receptor binding SET domain protein 2 (NSD2) (also known as multiple myeloma [MM] SET domain-containing protein [MMSET]/Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 protein [WHSC1]). Both KTX-1001 and KTX-2001 specifically inhibit NSD2 methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36 (H3K36) and disrupts aberrant NSD2-dependent oncogenic pathways.
About the KTX-2001 Phase 1 Clinical Trial
The Phase 1 clinical trial STRIKE-001 NCT07103018 is a multi-center, open label dose escalation of KTX-2001 single agent (Part A) and KTX-2001 combination with darolutamide (Part B). Part A will evaluate the safety and tolerability, maximum tolerated dose and recommended phase 2 dose(s) of KTX-2001 monotherapy in participants with mCRPC. Part B will study the safety and tolerability of KTX-2001+darolutamide to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose(s) of KTX-2001+darolutamide in participants with mCRPC. Additionally, objectives for Parts A and B include pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and preliminary clinical activity. K36 expects to enroll approximately 140 participants with mCRPC who have progressed on a second generation or later androgen receptor inhibitor (AR) targeted therapy/androgen biosynthesis inhibitor starting in 2H2025.
About K36 Therapeutics, Inc.
Founded in February 2021, K36 Therapeutics is a privately held biotechnology company backed by Atlas Venture, F-Prime, Eight Roads Ventures, Nextech and Bristol Myers Squibb. Our mission is to translate epigenetic modulation of oncogenic pathways into first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the benefit of cancer patients worldwide. For more information, please visit www.k36tx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About The Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC)
The Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) was initiated in 2005 by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) in response to critically unmet needs in prostate cancer clinical research identified by physician investigators and patient advocates. To fulfill their mission, the PCCTC developed a unique infrastructure which has fostered a culture of transparent project co-development between investigators, research sites and industry partners. Established as an independent entity in 2014, the PCCTC, LLC is now the nation's premier multicenter clinical research organization specializing in cutting-edge prostate cancer research. Through the collaborative nature and intellectual synergy of its leadership, the PCCTC remains poised to make a significant impact on the lives of patients by keeping the pipeline primed with the most promising novel agents and validated biomarkers. For more information, visit www.pcctc.org and follow on LinkedIn.
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