On October 30, 2024 Ajax Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation JAK inhibitors for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), reported the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating AJ1‑11095, a first-in-class Type II JAK2 inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis (Press release, Ajax Therapeutics, OCT 30, 2024, View Source [SID1234647558]).

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"We’re excited to announce dosing of the first patient enrolled in our first-in-human study with AJ1-11095" said David Steensma, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer at Ajax. "As a first-in-class therapy with a unique mechanism of action as a Type II inhibitor of JAK2, AJ1-11095 was developed to provide a much-needed new treatment for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms by offering the potential for improved efficacy compared to existing therapies."

AJ1-11095 is the first JAK2 inhibitor to enter the clinic that binds the Type II conformation of the JAK2 kinase as opposed to all the other approved JAK2 inhibitors, including ruxolitinib, that bind the Type I conformation. The advancement of AJ1-11095 into this Phase 1 clinical trial was based on preclinical studies in which AJ1-11095 showed superior efficacy when compared to Type I JAK2 inhibitors with significant disease modifying effects on mutant allele burden and fibrosis, two of the main hallmarks of myelofibrosis.

John Mascarenhas, MD, Professor of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai and Director, Center of Excellence in Blood Cancers and Myeloid Disorders at Tisch Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the Phase 1 Study added, "There continues to be a significant unmet need for myelofibrosis patients who lose or lack response to existing therapies. AJ1-11095 is a promising new therapeutic option for these patients and we look forward to the clinical results from the Phase 1 study."

The Phase 1 clinical trial is an open-label, multi-center, dose escalation and dose expansion study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of AJ1-11095. The study will enroll patients with Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF), Post-Polycythemia Vera Myelofibrosis (PPV-MF), or Post-Essential Thrombocythemia Myelofibrosis (PET-MF) who have been failed by a Type I JAK2 Inhibitor. Further details about the study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under the NCT identifier: NCT06343805.

About AJ1-11095

AJ1-11095 was designed by Ajax, through an exclusive collaboration with Schrödinger, using structure-based drug design and computational methods at scale to selectively bind the Type II conformation of the JAK2 kinase in order to provide greater efficacy with disease modification compared to all currently approved JAK2 inhibitors, including ruxolitinib, which bind the Type I conformation of JAK2. Additionally, AJ1-11095 has been shown in preclinical studies to reverse marrow fibrosis, reduce mutant allele burden, and maintain efficacy against MPN cells that become resistant to chronic Type I JAK2 inhibition.

About Myelofibrosis

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare blood cancer that affects approximately 20,000 patients in the United States. The disease is characterized by spleen enlargement, scarring (fibrosis) in the bone marrow, progressive anemia, and debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, night sweats, itching, and abdominal discomfort, which can impair a patient’s’ quality of life. The most widely used treatment for MF patients are Type I JAK2 inhibitors which can reduce spleen size and provide symptomatic improvement but have little effect on the underlying cause of disease. Over time, most MF patients stop Type I JAK2 inhibitor therapy. The most common causes for treatment discontinuation include a lack of benefit or loss of response, adverse events, and disease progression, leaving significant unmet treatment needs for these patients.