Kura Oncology Announces Multiple Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at AACR Annual Meeting

SAN DIEGO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that four abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, to be held in New Orleans from April 8-13, 2022.

“We look forward to showcasing the four abstracts for tipifarnib, including a late-breaking presentation highlighting the opportunity for our next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor program,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. “We are excited about this emerging opportunity, focused on delaying the onset of drug resistance and look forward to sharing more detailed information at AACR next month. In the meantime, we intend to perform initial clinical evaluation with tipifarnib in non-small cell lung cancer while in parallel advancing KO-2806, the lead development candidate in our next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor program, through IND-enabling studies.”

Session titles and information for the four abstracts are listed below and are now available on the AACR online itinerary planner.

Tipifarnib prevents emergence of resistance to osimertinib in EGFR-mutant NSCLC 
Session Title: Late-Breaking Research: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics 1 / Chemistry
Session Date and Time: Monday Apr 11, 2022; 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Location: New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H, Poster Section 16
Abstract / Poster: LB080 / 5

A Phase 1/2 trial to evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of tipifarnib and alpelisib for patients with HRAS-overexpressing and/or PIK3CA mutated/amplified recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (The KURRENT trial)
Session Title: Phase I Trials in Progress 2
Session Date and Time: Wednesday Apr 13, 2022; 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM CT
Location: New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H, Poster Section 35
Abstract / Poster: CT253 / 14

Tipifarnib potentiates the antitumor effects of PI3Ka blockade in HNSCC via convergent inhibition of mTOR activity 
Session Title: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics - Mechanisms of Drug Action 3
Session Date and Time: Monday Apr 11, 2022; 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM CT
Location: New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H, Poster Section 24
Abstract / Poster: 1120 / 10

Translating genotype to immunophenotype in HRAS mutated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to identify effective Tipifarnib partners for optimal patient outcomes 
Session Title: Tumor Biology - Models and Technical Approaches to Analyze and Examine the Tumor Microenvironment
Session Date and Time: Wednesday Apr 13, 2022; 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM CT
Location: New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H, Poster Section 14
Abstract / Poster: 3882 / 27

Copies of the presentations will be available on Kura's website at www.kuraoncology.com/pipeline/publications/ following presentation at the meeting.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s pipeline consists of small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways. Ziftomenib (KO-539), a potent and selective menin inhibitor, is currently in a Phase 1b clinical trial (KOMET-001) for patients with relapsed/refractory AML, including patients with NPM1 mutations or KMT2A rearrangements. Tipifarnib, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI), has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of patients with HRAS mutant HNSCC and is currently in a registration-directed trial (AIM-HN) in patients with this devastating disease. In addition, Kura is conducting a Phase 1/2 trial (KURRENT) of tipifarnib in combination with the PI3Kα inhibitor alpelisib to address larger genetic subsets of HNSCC patients, including those whose tumors are dependent on HRAS and/or PI3Kα pathways. The Company is also developing KO-2806, a next-generation FTI, which is intended to target innovative biology and larger oncology indications through rational combinations. For additional information about Kura, please visit the Company’s website at www.kuraoncology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the ability to delay the onset of drug resistance, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic potential of Kura’s product candidates, ziftomenib, tipifarnib and KO-2806, and progress and expected timing of Kura’s drug development programs and clinical trials and submission of regulatory filings. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include the risk that compounds that appeared promising in early research or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in later preclinical studies or clinical trials, the risk that Kura may not obtain approval to market its product candidates, uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials, regulatory filings, applications and other interactions with regulatory bodies, risks associated with reliance on third parties to successfully conduct clinical trials, the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital requirements, and other risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. You are urged to consider statements that include the words “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “promise,” “potential,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “continues,” “designed,” “goal,” or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, please refer to the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed on February 24, 2022, which are available at www.sec.gov. Such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date they are made, and Kura assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Company:
Pete De Spain
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications
(858) 500-8803
pete@kuraoncology.com

Investors:
Robert H. Uhl
Managing Director
ICR Westwicke
(858) 356-5932
robert.uhl@westwicke.com

Media:
Jason Spark
Managing Director
Canale Communications
(619) 849-6005
jason@canalecomm.com