On December 19, 2019 Cullinan Oncology, LLC reported the initiation of dosing with VK-2019, Cullinan Apollo’s first-in-class EBNA1 inhibitor for Epstein Barr Virus positive (EBV+) cancers and CLN-081, Cullinan Pearl’s novel epidermal growth factor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, Cullinan Oncology, DEC 19, 2019, View Source [SID1234552528]). Cullinan Apollo and Cullinan Pearl are subsidiaries of Cullinan Oncology.
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VK-2019 and CLN-081 represent the first two small molecules targeting oncogenic drivers from the Cullinan Oncology pipeline. Each clinical study is a global Phase 1/2a study that utilizes an accelerated dosing schema, followed by expansion cohorts to fully characterize both safety and efficacy.
"We are grateful to our many collaborators for helping us bring these innovative medicines to patients," stated Owen Hughes, CEO of Cullinan Oncology, LLC. "We are hopeful that our medicines have the potential to positively impact the lives of those living with EBV+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma and NSCLC driven by EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. We look forward to bringing additional targeted therapies into the clinic in the coming quarters."
About VK-2019
VK-2019 is a first-in-class EBNA1 inhibitor for EBV+ cancers. Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a well-established driver of various cancers and is critically reliant on the viral DNA-binding factor EBNA1 for viral genome maintenance. In preclinical models of EBV-associated cancers, VK-2019 eliminated EBV, resulting in tumor growth inhibition. VK-2019 originated at the Wistar Institute and was licensed by Cullinan Apollo in 2018.
About CLN-081
CLN-081 (formerly TAS6417) is an orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to target activating mutations in EGFR. The molecule was engineered to inhibit EGFR variants with exon 20 insertion mutations, while sparing wild-type EGFR. CLN-081 is initially in development to target NSCLC driven by EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. CLN-081 was developed by Taiho Pharmaceuticals and was licensed by Cullinan Pearl in 2019.