On September 25, 2026 Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company") reported new preclinical data indicating that the antitumor activity of its lead drug candidate, Annamycin (naxtarubicin), in pancreatic cancer is partially mediated by CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity. The findings are being presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: New Frontiers in Biology and Therapeutic Development, held September 25-28, 2026 in San Diego, California.
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In preclinical models of pancreatic cancer, Annamycin’s antitumor activity appears to depend in part on CD8+ T cells, the immune system’s primary tumor-killing cells. The finding suggests Annamycin may do more than kill cancer cells directly; it may also expose tumors that are typically considered immunologically "cold" to immune attack.
Pancreatic cancer is among the most treatment-resistant solid tumors, and its characteristically "cold" immune microenvironment is one reason checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited single-agent activity in the disease. Preclinical evidence that Annamycin’s activity is partly immune-mediated points to a potential basis for combination approaches, and complements the immune-modulating mechanism of the Company’s WP1066 program.
Title: "Turning cold pancreatic tumors hot: Antitumor activity of Annamycin is partially mediated by CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity"
Author/Presenter: Angela T. Alistar, MD, Morristown Medical Center, Atlantic Health System / Carol G. Simon Cancer Center
Congress: AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: New Frontiers in Biology and Therapeutic Development
Dates: September 25-28, 2026
Location: Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, California
These findings were generated in preclinical models. Preclinical results may not be predictive of results in humans, and Annamycin is not currently in clinical development for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
The abstract for this presentation was published today as a supplement to the September 15, 2026 issue of Cancer Research.
"Annamycin represents a fundamental re-engineering of the anthracycline, one designed to increase efficacy and avoid multidrug resistance and the cardiotoxicity of currently prescribed agents," said Walter Klemp, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin. "These data point to an unexpected additional benefit. In preclinical models of pancreatic cancer, Annamycin’s antitumor activity appears to depend in part on the immune system. If that observation holds, it broadens both where Annamycin might be useful and how it might be combined."
Annamycin’s lead clinical program remains the ongoing MIRACLE trial evaluating AnnAraC in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is the Company’s primary development focus and the basis of its near-term milestones. The pancreatic cancer findings described above are preclinical and are not part of the MIRACLE trial.
(Press release, Moleculin, SEP 25, 2026, View Source [SID1234671090])