Kura reports preclinical data on use of farnesyl transferase inhibitors

Kura Oncology reported preclinical data supporting the potential use of farnesyl transferase inhibitors to treat various types of solid tumors in combination with targeted therapies, including KRASG12C inhibitors and anti-angiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These data were featured in two poster presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research, AACR, Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 16 in Orlando. New preclinical data in the poster titled, ‘Tipifarnib synergizes with a TKI in clear cell renal cell carcinoma models,’ demonstrates the synergistic activity of tipifarnib and axitinib, a TKI approved to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma, in cell- and patient-derived RCC xenograft models. These data support the potential to administer an FTI in combination with a TKI for the treatment of RCC, and studies are ongoing to further evaluate the mechanistic basis of the synergy observed with the combination. In addition, new findings were presented in the poster titled, ‘Combination of tipifarnib with KRASG12C inhibitors to prevent adaptive resistance,’ evaluating the effects of tipifarnib in combination with adagrasib and sotorasib in cell line and xenograft models of KRASG12C mutant non-small cell lung cancer. These data reveal that the addition of tipifarnib leads to significant tumor regression in xenograft models and suppresses mTOR signaling reactivation relative to treatment with the KRASG12C inhibitors alone.