Kyn Therapeutics Rebrands as Ikena Oncology, Reflecting Next Phase of Growth
Tags:
Phase 1
Oncology
IND
FDA Clearance of IND Application for Phase 1 Study of AHR Antagonist, IK-175
Anticipating Multiple Clinical and Regulatory Milestones in 2020, Including Report of Preliminary Clinical Data on Its Lead Program IK-007, an EP4 Antagonist
Disclosing New Pipeline Program Modulating the Hippo Signaling Pathway
New Corporate Identity Aligned with Broadened Strategy on Novel, Patient-Directed, Oncology Therapies
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kyn Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced it is rebranding to Ikena Oncology. The rebranding reflects the evolution of the Company beyond its continued achievements in immuno-metabolism, as well as its renewed commitment to biomarker-driven oncology drug development. The rebranding is accompanied by announcement of the clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Company's investigational new drug (IND) application for IK-175, a small molecule antagonist of AHR. In addition, Ikena unveiled a new discovery program aimed at modulating the Hippo signaling pathway for treatment of cancer. Ikena has five development and discovery programs with multiple clinical and regulatory milestones expected in 2020, including report of preliminary clinical data on its lead program IK-007, an EP4 antagonist.
Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Ikena Oncology, commented, “Ikena Oncology represents the growth and evolution of our vision, strategy, capabilities and values. We look forward to leveraging these drivers to build on our efforts to become an industry leader in novel therapeutics for patients battling cancer.”
The new name “Ikena” is derived from the combination of “i” which refers to the individual patient and “ken” which means knowledge, thereby illustrating the Company’s focus on using its insights to identify patients most likely to benefit from its therapies.
Advancement and Expansion of Development Pipeline
The expanded Ikena Oncology development pipeline is composed of patient-directed programs addressing distinct molecular targets and biologic pathways within and outside of immuno-metabolism, including immunotherapies and tumor cell intrinsic product candidates:
“As we launch our new corporate identity, we anticipate an exciting 2020 that includes multiple clinical and regulatory milestones. We are encouraged by the ongoing studies investigating IK-007 in combination with Keytruda® in patients with MSS CRC and PD-1/L-1 refractory NSCLC, and look forward to continuing enrollment. Moreover, we aim to advance IK-175 into the clinic, file an IND for IK-412, and identify a development candidate for the Hippo program,” concluded Dr. Manfredi.
The Company’s website is now available at IkenaOncology.com.
About Ikena Oncology
Ikena Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops patient-directed, biomarker-driven therapies for cancer patients who need life-saving treatment, by understanding what drives their disease. Ikena is advancing five clinical, preclinical and discovery programs: IK-007, an EP4 receptor antagonist; IK-175, an AHR antagonist; IK-412, a kynurenine-degrading enzyme (“Kynase”); discovery-stage molecules targeting the Hippo signaling pathway; and a discovery-stage program against an undisclosed target. Ikena has entered into a global strategic collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb on the AHR antagonist and Kynase programs. Ikena has raised capital from top tier investors OrbiMed Advisors and Atlas Venture.
For more information, visit www.ikenaoncology.com, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contacts
Investors: Ryan Baker Argot Partners 617-279-0589 ryan@argotpartners.com Media: Liza Sullivan Argot Partners 617-340-6073 liza@argotpartners.com
Investors: Ryan Baker Argot Partners 617-279-0589 ryan@argotpartners.com Media: Liza Sullivan Argot Partners 617-340-6073 liza@argotpartners.com
