Collaboration to test 2 pancreatic cancer treatments in combination
Experimental treatments from Ideaya, Roche target PDAC, most common form
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Ideaya Biosciences and Roche announced a collaboration to test two experimental treatments for pancreatic cancer in combination.
The companies will test Ideaya’s IDE892 in combination with Roche’s RG6505 in people with MTAP-deleted, RAS-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is the most common form of pancreatic cancer.
“We are pleased to evaluate the clinical combination of IDE892 with RG6505 in MTAP-deleted RAS-mutant PDAC,” Yujiro S. Hata, Ideaya’s president and CEO, said in a company press release. “This collaboration aligns with our broader clinical strategy to evaluate rational combinations with assets in our MTAP-deletion portfolio, and there remains especially high unmet need in PDAC.”
As many as four of every 10 PDAC tumors carry a deletion of the MTAP gene. When this gene is missing, a molecule called methylthioadenosine (MTA) builds up to abnormal levels in cancer cells. On its own, the buildup of MTA doesn’t kill cancer cells — but MTA can partially block the activity of PRMT5, a protein that cancer cells rely on to survive and repair their DNA when it gets damaged.
Ideaya’s IDE892 is designed to work in concert with MTA to fully block PRMT5 activity, exploiting this vulnerability to ultimately kill cancer cells.
Combination aims for better response
Almost all PDAC cells that harbor an MTAPÂ gene deletion also carry mutations affecting RAS, a protein that normally helps control cell growth. RAS mutations can cause cells to grow when they shouldn’t, ultimately driving the abnormal cell growth that defines cancers. Roche’s RG6505 is a pan-RAS inhibitor, meaning it is designed to block the activity of all forms of the RAS protein.
“Combining a PRMT5 inhibitor with a pan-RAS inhibitor may have the potential to drive deeper and more durable responses for MTAP-deleted PDAC patients who currently have no approved targeted treatment options,” Ideaya said.
Ideaya is running a Phase 1 study (NCT07277413) testing IDE892 as monotherapy (a treatment on its own) in people with various types of solid tumors carrying a deletion of the MTAPÂ gene. That study is actively recruiting participants at sites in the U.S.
Under the new collaboration, Ideaya will test IDE892 in combination with RG6505 in people with MTAP-deleted, RAS-mutant PDAC. The study will be funded by Ideaya and will be overseen by both companies.
