Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on March 18 that it will unwrap 10 new research projects, the most in the industry, in the American Association for Cancer Research 2024 (AACR 2024), which will run in San Diego of the United States from April 5 to 10.
First, Hanmi Pharmaceutical will present the results of its research on next-generation p53-mRNA anti-cancer drugs that target p53-mutant cancers using mRNA platform technology on April 7. When mutations occur in a p53 protein, a representative tumor suppressor gene, cancer cells divide and grow constantly. Until now, attempts have been made to develop therapeutic drugs that target p53 mutations present in a high percentage of cancer patients. None of them have been commercialized, expanding anticipation for Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s research.
The results of HM16390, a next-generation interleukin-2 (IL-2) immuno-oncology drug that Hanmi Pharmaceutical has confirmed excellent anti-tumor efficacy in a non-clinical study, will be released on April 8. HM16390 is a candidate that has optimized the power of a combination among IL-2 receptors, resulting in strong anti-tumor efficacy and improved safety. It is expected to show therapeutic efficacy in various cancers including melanoma and colorectal cancer, as well as kidney and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical will also make a presentation on research results on HM97662, a next-generation EZH1-2 dual inhibitor that is expected to overcome the resistance mechanism of selective EZH2 inhibitors. It will also present the possibility that HM97662 may be used as a new treatment option for solid tumors with mutations in protein complexes (SWIS and Nfs, including ARID1A).
Hanmi Pharmaceutical will announce the previously undisclosed results of the new novel anti-cancer pipeline, a selective HER2 exon 20 insertion mutation inhibitor and an IRE1α inhibitor (HM100168), on April 8. The results of a study on BH3120, a next-generation immuno-oncology drug being developed by Beijing Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s R&D center in China will be presented on April 9. The nonclinical study shows the synergistic anti-cancer effects and a safety profile of BH3120 in combination with PD-1 inhibitors in addition to a monotherapy.
New findings on an mRNA-based anticancer vaccine targeting a key KRAS variant antigen and a small molecule inhibitor that selectively inhibits YAP and TAZ-TEAD interactions by binding to a palmitate pocket of the transcription factor TEAD will be presented on April 9 and 10. Hanmi Pharmaceutical first unveiled the palmitate pocket of the transcription factor TEAD at the AACR in 2023.
“Our presentations in this year’s AACR will be quite meaningful in that we will present a number of next-generation new drugs that will continue Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s R&D innovation and further consolidate our position as a leader in drug development,” said Choi In-young, head of Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s R&D Center. “We plan to present new innovative possibilities that go beyond existing approaches, such as mRNA-based therapies, and demonstrate that Hanmi is leading the way in developing new drugs using various modalities to change paradigms of cancer treatment based on our unparalleled R&D capabilities.”