Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) (“Moleculin” or the “Company), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of drug candidates targeting hard-to-treat tumors and viruses, today announced the commencement of an Investigator-initiated Phase 2 study evaluating WP1066 in combination with radiation therapy for the treatment of adults with glioblastoma (NU 21C06) in cooperation with the Company. The study is being conducted under Northwestern University’s Investigative New Drug application (IND) which cross references the Company’s own IND, which received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2022. This trial is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and BrainUp®, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to brain cancer.
Dr. Priya Kumthekar, Associate Professor and the Co-Investigator for the study commented, “There remains a significant unmet need in the treatment of glioblastoma. Based on the data seen to date, we believe that WP1066 in combination with radiation therapy has the potential to address this need and provide patients with a much-needed treatment option. We are pleased to commence this important study with Moleculin.”
WP1066 is Moleculin’s flagship Immune/Transcription Modulator designed to stimulate the immune response to tumors by inhibiting the errant activity of regulatory T cells while also inhibiting key oncogenic transcription factors, including p-STAT3 (phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), c-Myc (a cellular signal transducer named after a homologous avian virus called Myelocytomatosis) and HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α). These transcription factors are widely sought targets because of their role in cancer cell survival and proliferation, angiogenesis (coopting vasculature for blood supply), invasion, metastasis, and inflammation associated with tumors.
The NU 21C06 trial is a Phase 2, open-label, multi-arm trial of radiation therapy in combination with WP1066 in newly diagnosed IDH (isocitrate dehydrogenase) wild-type, MGMT-unmethylated glioblastoma patients. The primary outcome measure for the study is progression-free survival and secondary outcome measures include tumor microenvironment analysis.
“To date, WP1066 has demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity in a wide range of tumor cell lines and increased survival in multiple animal models. The combination of WP1066 with radiation in glioma models demonstrated both therapeutic responses and compelling alteration of the immune surveillance within the gliomas which we hope will be replicated in human subjects,” according to Dr. Amy Heimberger at Northwestern University.
“We are continuing to evaluate WP1066 in additional indications including for the treatment of pediatric brain tumors and look forward to its continued development,” added Mr. Walter Klemp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin.
Glioblastoma is a common type of tumor originating in the brain. The average annual age-adjusted incidence rate of glioblastoma is 3.19 per 100,000 persons in the United States.1 Glioblastoma is the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor with a median survival of only 15 months2. It is the most common malignant primary brain tumor making up 54% of all gliomas and 16% of all primary brain tumors.3 Despite advancements for other cancers, the survival rate for glioblastoma has not changed significantly in the last three decades.4
Moleculin has received Orphan Drug Designation for WP1066 for the treatment of brain tumors, as well as Rare Pediatric Disease designation for three other pediatric indications. For more information about the NU 21C06 Phase 2 study, visit clinicaltrials.gov and reference identifier NCT05879250.