Full Press Release Details
NuCana Presents Data at the AACR 2023 Annual Meeting Highlighting Novel NUC-7738 Mechanisms of
NUC-7738 Reduces Secreted Forms of PD-L1
Indicating Potential Synergy with Checkpoint Inhibitors
NUC-7738 Decreases Glutaminase in
vitro and in Cancer Tissue Demonstrating Potential for Anti-Cancer Activity in Highly Metabolic Tumors
Orlando, Florida April 14, 2023 (GLOBE
NEWSWIRE) - NuCana plc (NASDAQ: NCNA) announced two posters to be presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting being held from April 14-19, 2023.
Title: NUC-7738 causes reduction of soluble and exosome-associated
PD-L1 in melanoma cell lines and patients
Presentation date and time: April 19th from 9.00am - 12.30pm
Abstract number: 5962
This study investigates the dynamic between NUC-7738 and the secreted forms of
PD-L1 (soluble PD-L1 and exosomal PD-L1) both in a melanoma cell line and in patients treated with
NUC-7738. Data from this study demonstrate that NUC-7738 reduced mRNA and protein levels of soluble PD-L1 in a melanoma cell
line and that patients treated with NUC-7738 had reduced levels of exosomal PD-L1 compared to pre-treatment levels. These data
indicate that NUC-7738 has the potential to act as an immune sensitizer and as an effective combination partner for PD-L1 pathway inhibitors. NUC-7738 is currently being studied in combination with pembrolizumab for patients with advanced solid tumors in the Phase 2 part of the NuTide:701 study.
Title: NUC-7738 promotes alternative polyadenylation site usage and reduces glutaminase GAC isoform
Presentation date and time: April 16th from 1.30pm - 5.00pm
Abstract number: 277
This study investigates the effect
of NUC-7738 on isoforms of glutaminase 1. Glutaminase is often upregulated in cancer cells. Additionally, the GAC isoform drives more metabolically active cancers and has been associated with poorer patient
outcomes. NUC-7738 reduced the expression of GAC in renal and pancreatic cancer cell lines in both hypoxic and normoxic conditions. Furthermore, tissue from patients with kidney cancer that was treated with NUC-7738 ex vivo demonstrated reduced levels of GAC. These data highlight a potentially meaningful anti-cancer strategy for NUC-7738 in metabolically active tumors that
are able to sustain high rates of growth and proliferation in unfavorable conditions, including hypoxia.
Hugh S. Griffith, NuCana s Founder and
Chief Executive Officer said: We are excited with these data as we believe they demonstrate NUC-7738 s multi-faceted mechanisms of action and are highly supportive of our clinical development
strategy. We are currently investigating NUC-7738 in combination with pembrolizumab in the Phase 2 part of the NuTide:701 study and look forward to sharing data from this study in 2023.
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on significantly improving treatment outcomes for patients with cancer by applying our ProTide
technology to transform some of the most widely prescribed chemotherapy agents, nucleoside analogs, into more effective and safer medicines. While these conventional agents remain part of the standard of care for the treatment of many solid and
hematological tumors, they have significant shortcomings that limit their efficacy and they are often poorly tolerated. Utilizing our proprietary technology, we are developing new medicines, ProTides, designed to overcome the key limitations of
nucleoside analogs and generate much higher concentrations of anti-cancer metabolites in cancer cells. NuCana s pipeline includes NUC-3373 and NUC-7738. NUC-3373 is a new chemical entity derived from the nucleoside analog 5-fluorouracil, a widely used chemotherapy agent. NUC-3373, in
combination with other agents, is in a Phase 1b/2 study in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. NuCana has also initiated a randomized Phase 2 study of NUC-3373, in combination with other agents, for
the second-line treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. In addition, NuCana has initiated a Phase 1b/2 modular study of NUC-3373 in combination with other agents, including the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab, in patients with advanced solid tumors to identify additional indications for development. NUC-7738 is a transformation of
3 -deoxyadenosine, a novel anti-cancer nucleoside analog. NUC-7738 is in the Phase 2 part of a Phase 1/2 study in patients with advanced solid tumors which is evaluating
NUC-7738 as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab.
Forward-Looking Statements
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statements, including statements concerning the Company s planned and ongoing clinical studies for the Company s product candidates and the potential advantages of those product candidates, including
NUC-3373 and NUC-7738; the initiation, enrollment, timing, progress, release of data from and results of those planned and ongoing clinical studies; the Company s
goals with respect to the development, regulatory pathway and potential use, if approved, of each of its product candidates; the utility of prior non-clinical and clinical data in determining future clinical
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forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company s Annual Report on Form
20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) on April 4, 2023, and subsequent reports that the Company files with the SEC.
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For more information, please contact:
Chief Executive Officer
Westwicke, an ICR Company