inno.N

March 27, 2024
 

HK inno.N presents research findings for EGFR-mutated NSCLC treatment at the AACR Annual Meeting in the U.S.   

HK inno.N announced on March 27 that it would attend the upcoming ‘American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2024’ Annual Meeting scheduled to be held in the United States from April 5 to 10 and reveal nonclinical research findings on its next-generation allosteric Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) candidate through a poster presentation.

AACR is one of the world’s leading professional organizations for cancers alongside the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Each year, numerous experts gather at the AACR Annual Meeting from all over the world to share the latest advances in cancer research.

At this annual meeting, HK inno.N will unveil the details of nonclinical research on ‘allosteric EGFR-TKI’ in patients with EGFR L858R mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Currently, HK inno.N is continuing to research on ‘IN-119873’, a 4th-generation targeted anticancer drug candidate for NSCLC patients with the EGFR L858R  mutation who are resistant to conventional first-line treatments.

Unlike conventional treatments that target the binding site of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy source of cancer cells, HK inno.N’s ‘IN-119873’ targets the allosteric binding site (one of protein binding sites) of the EGFR. With this novel approach to treatment for NSCLC, ‘IN-119873’ is highly expected to demonstrate excellent efficacy against the EGFR mutations caused by existing 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI treatments and synergize with 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI as a concomitant therapy.

The global interest in next-generation allosteric EGFR-TKI is growing considerably, as evidenced by a multinational pharmaceutical company recently purchasing another company’s candidate that is being developed based on the same mechanism for approximately $540 million (approximately KRW 720 billion).

According to global market forecasts, the overall NSCLC treatment market is valued at approximately KRW 30 trillion as of 2022. Of these, the market size for EGFR-mutated NSCLC treatments is approximately KRW 5 trillion, and osimertinib, a 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI, accounts for more than half of this market.

“We are planning to present our latest research findings on EGFR-TKI to experts from domestic and overseas companies and explore opportunities for collaborations at the AACR Annual Meeting,” said Kim Bong-tae, the director of the HK inno.N Novel Drug Research Center, adding, “our current goal is to complete the ongoing nonclinical research on ‘IN-119873’ within this year and prepare the Investigational New Drug (IND) for entry into clinical stage (phase 1)”.

After introducing the initial active substance from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), HK inno.N was selected as a participant in the National New Drug Development Project Support Program by the Korea Drug Development Fund in August 2023, and then successfully derived a next-generation allosteric EGFR-TKI candidate named ‘IN-119873’. in September 2023, HK inno.N signed a collaborative agreement for joint research on ‘next-generation EGFR degraders’ with Dong-A ST to advance the development of EGFR degrader candidates using existing allosteric EGFR inhibitors. Building on this, HK inno.N’s commitment to the research and development of NSCLC-targeted anticancer drug candidates has been continued. [The End]

[Reference information]

Title of the poster presentation: IN-119873, the next-generation allosteric EGFR TKI, apotent and highly selective EGFR L858R for thetreatment of osimertinib-resistant NSCLC.

▶EGFR: EGFR stands for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. When binding to its receptor, the EGF is involved in cell growth and differentiation through signaling. Any abnormality in the EGFR’s function, such as overexpression, is known to affect the development and metastasis of various tumors. Therefore, anticancer drugs are being developed using a mechanism by which EGFR activities are inhibited. 

▶TKI: TKI stands for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor. Tyrosine kinases are a family of enzymes responsible for cell signaling, growth and division, etc. In some cancer cells, these enzymes are overactive or present at a high concentration; therefore, interfering with such activities is helpful in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Accordingly, TKIs are used to treat cancers as a type of targeted therapeutics.

▶ATP: ATP stands for Adenosine Triphosphate, which means an organic compound made up of three phosphate groups attached to an adenosine base. A paradigm for conventional EGFR-TKIs is to block the binding to ATP, the energy source for cancer cells.

▶Osimertinib (ingredient name): First-line treatment for locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC patients with EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutation.