On July 13, 2017 Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for oncology, reported it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Foundation Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMI) to support patient enrollment for Kura’s clinical program for tipifarnib in patients with relapsed and/or refractory HRAS mutant squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) (Press release, Kura Oncology, JUL 13, 2017, View Source [SID1234519798]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! "We’re excited to collaborate with Foundation Medicine, a leader and innovator in precision medicine, molecular information and comprehensive genomic profiling, as part of our strategy to reach a broader population of patients with high unmet medical need," said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and CEO of Kura Oncology. "Our preliminary data suggests tipifarnib has activity in patients with HRAS mutant squamous cell head and neck cancer, who have failed other treatment options, and we believe Foundation Medicine’s unique expertise and outreach to physicians treating SCCHN patients, in particular, in the community treatment setting fit well with our company’s objectives and values."
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Through this collaboration, Foundation Medicine’s SmartTrials Precision Enrollment program will contact physicians treating individuals across the U.S. diagnosed with SCCHN whose tumors harbor HRAS mutations as detected in the course of routine clinical care. The treating physicians will be contacted and informed of Kura’s ongoing Phase 2 study of tipifarnib, including relevant details about the trial, including trial patient characteristics and investigational centers, to assist the physician in evaluating tipifarnib as a potential treatment option.
Tipifarnib is an inhibitor of farnesylation, a key cell signaling process implicated in cancer initiation and development, and is under investigation in multiple ongoing clinical trials. Tipifarnib has demonstrated encouraging preclinical and clinical activity, including durable partial responses, in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with HRAS mutant SCCHN. Additional information about this clinical trial can be found at clinicaltrials.gov.
About HRAS Mutant SCCHN
Head and neck cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with squamous cell carcinomas accounting for most head and neck cancers. The relapsed and/or refractory SCCHN patient population has an overall survival of approximately 6-8 months and few therapeutic options. New therapies for SCCHN, including immunotherapy, typically show a response rate in the range of 10-20%. HRAS is a proto-oncogene that has been implicated in the development and progression of SCCHN. HRAS mutant SCCHN has an estimated annual incidence of approximately 2,800 to 3,400 patients in the U.S. and represents a significant unmet medical need.