Dracen Announces DRP-104 (sirpiglenastat) Presentations at AACR Virtual Annual Meeting

Posters further expand on preclinical immuno-oncology mechanism of action and combination therapy with various checkpoint inhibitors and confirm DRP-104 single agent activity in KEAP1 and STK11 mutant lung tumors and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN)

NEW YORK, April 5th, 2021 – Dracen Pharmaceuticals Inc., announced today that three posters profiling its clinical stage glutamine antagonist, DRP-104 (sirpiglenastat), will be presented during the two-week AACR 2021 virtual meeting taking place April 10 -15 and May 17- 21.

“As our lead asset DRP-104 (sirpiglenastat) advances in phase I clinical development, our preclinical data continues to confirm its promising profile both as a single agent and in combination therapy,” said Robert Wild, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Dracen Pharmaceuticals. “The data being presented at AACR this year confirm that DRP-104 (sirpiglenastat) has significant single agent activity in various tumor types, including KEAP1 and STK11 mutant non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), osimertinib resistant NSCLC as well as PIK3CA/PTEN mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN). Additionally, DRP-104 has demonstrated therapeutic synergy with various immune checkpoint inhibitors, including anti-PD-1/PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4 and anti-TIGIT. These data suggest that DRP-104 is a promising therapy for lung cancers and SCCHN and can potentially be combined with several different immune checkpoint inhibitors for improved therapeutic outcome. We are excited about advancing this promising compound in the clinic.”

The presentation details are as follows:

Title: DRP-104, a broad acting glutamine antagonist, synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade in vivo
Session Type: E-Poster Session
Session Title: Combination Immunotherapies
Permanent Abstract Number: 1563

Title: Halting head & neck squamous cell carcinoma progression by broadly targeting glutamine metabolic pathways
Session Type: E-Poster Session
Session Title: Metabolic Pathways
Permanent Abstract Number: 2339

Title: Broad glutamine pathway inhibition by DRP-104 results in anti-tumor activity in hypermetabolic lung tumors resistant to PD-1 or osimertinib therapy
Session Type: E-Poster Session
Session Title: Combination Immunotherapies
Permanent Abstract Number: 1572

About DRP-104
Our lead glutamine antagonist, DRP -104 (sirpiglenastat), is currently in early-stage clinical development. The mechanisms of action for DRP-104 include: a) direct inhibition of tumor cell addiction to glutamine leading to substantial single agent activity and tumor regression; b) broad metabolic remodeling of the tumor microenvironment leading to enhanced anti-tumor immune activity; and, c) stimulation of T effector, NK and NKT cells and inhibition of immunosuppressive MDSC and macrophage cells, leading to greater long-term durable responses and survival.

About Dracen Pharmaceuticals
Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotech company developing proprietary anticancer drugs that target immuno-metabolism. Dracen’s investors include Deerfield Management; Osage University Partners; and The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB Prague). Dracen is headquartered in New York, NY with research operations in San Diego, CA.

For further information, please contact:
Mohamed Ragab, MD, Chief Business Officer
Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
mragab@dracenpharma.com 
917.398.3713

Molly C. Watson
Ritz Communications
Molly.watson@ritzcommunications.com
413.454.3926