Baylor College of Medicine Presents eFFECTOR Therapeutics-Backed Preclinical Data Supporting Development of Zotatifin in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer at 2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics
October 07 2021 - 4:30PM
eFFECTOR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: EFTR), a leader in the development
of selective translation regulator inhibitors (STRIs) for the
treatment of cancer, in collaboration with investigators at Baylor
College of Medicine, today announced the presentation of new
positive data for zotatifin in animal models of triple-negative
breast cancer (TNBC) at the 2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC International
Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. Zotatifin
is a potent and sequence-selective inhibitor of eukaryotic
translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) mediated translation.
The study authors found that blocking eIF4A in p53-null models
of mouse mammary tumorigenesis with zotatifin results in tumor
control via both tumor-intrinsic mechanisms as well as activation
of host immune response. This activity is further potentiated with
the addition of chemotherapy. The presentation entitled, “The RNA
helicase EIF4A is a therapeutic vulnerability in triple-negative
breast cancer,” was presented by Na Zhao, Ph.D., postdoctoral
associate in the Jeffrey Rosen Lab, Department of Molecular and
Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, in an oral
session.
“Successful cancer treatments usually require combinations with
standard-of-care chemo- and immunotherapies,” said Jeffrey Rosen,
Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology,
Baylor College of Medicine. “Resistance is also a major
problem observed with single agents. We are excited to employ the
TNBC models developed in our laboratory for these important
preclinical studies that we hope will lead to the next generation
of clinical trials.”
In the study, zotatifin treatment slowed tumor growth in six out
of eight syngeneic TNBC models without apparent toxicity. Zotatifin
treatment was also shown to inhibit proliferative and stem cell
signaling pathways including E2F targets, G2/M checkpoints, as well
as NOTCH signaling, and induce proteins involved in Interferon-α
and Interferon-γ responses. Additionally, combination treatment of
zotatifin with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus demonstrated
statistically significant prolonged survival compared to use of
these agents alone.
“We are pleased to present these highly
encouraging data through our partnership with researchers at Baylor
College of Medicine that support continued advancement of zotatifin
in solid tumor indications, including triple negative breast
cancer,” said Steve Worland, Ph.D., president and CEO of eFFECTOR.
“We believe zotatifin may have therapeutic benefit in this
difficult-to-treat subset of breast cancer patients, particularly
in combination with other FDA-approved agents.”
About eFFECTOR Therapeutics
eFFECTOR is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused
on pioneering the development of a new class of oncology drugs
referred to as STRIs. eFFECTOR’s STRI product candidates target the
eIF4F complex and its activating kinase, mitogen-activated protein
kinase interacting kinase (MNK). The eIF4F complex is a central
node where two of the most frequently mutated signaling pathways in
cancer, the PI3K-AKT and RAS-MEK pathways, converge to activate the
translation of select mRNA into proteins that are frequent culprits
in key disease-driving processes. Each of eFFECTOR’s product
candidates is designed to act on a single protein that drives the
expression of multiple functionally related proteins, including
oncoproteins and immunosuppressive proteins in T cells, that
together control tumor growth, survival and immune evasion.
eFFECTOR’s lead product candidate, tomivosertib, is a MNK inhibitor
currently being evaluated in KICKSTART, a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled Phase 2b trial of tomivosertib in combination
with pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC). Zotatifin, eFFECTOR’s inhibitor of eIF4A, is
currently being evaluated in Phase 2a expansion cohorts in certain
biomarker-positive solid tumors, including ER+ breast cancer and
KRAS-mutant NSCLC. eFFECTOR has a global collaboration with Pfizer
to develop inhibitors of a third target, eIF4E. In addition to the
company’s oncology focus, zotatifin is being evaluated as a
potential host-directed anti-viral therapy in patients with mild to
moderate COVID-19 in collaboration with the University of
California, San Francisco, under a $5 million grant sponsored by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Contacts:
Investors:Stephanie CarringtonWestwicke, an ICR
Company646-277-1282Stephanie.Carrington@westwicke.com
Media:Heidi Chokeir, Ph.D.Canale
Communications619-203-5391heidi.chokeir@canalecomm.com
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