Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Cancer Trial for Altiratinib (DCC-2701) MET/TIE2/VEGFR/TRK Kinase Inhibitor for Solid Tumors

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on improved kinase inhibitor treatments for cancer, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of its MET/TIE2/VEGFR2/TRK inhibitor altiratinib (DCC-2701). The Phase 1 trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability and initial efficacy of altiratinib in cancer patients with solid tumors. Altiratinib has been shown to exhibit high potency and selectivity for inhibiting MET, TIE2, VEGFR2, and TRK kinases in preclinical studies. A companion diagnostic assay will also be co-developed during the course of clinical studies.

In preclinical cancer models, altiratinib has shown impressive activity against multiple tumors including melanoma, ovarian, glioblastoma, colorectal, gastric and breast cancers.
“We are pleased to advance altiratinib into clinical development based on the encouraging preclinical data demonstrated to date,” says Michael D. Taylor, PhD, Deciphera’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “With its balanced inhibition of key kinase mechanisms, including MET, TIE2, VEGFR2 and TRK, altiratinib was designed to address both tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment by providing high potency and inhibition against cancer cells, metastases, and invasiveness. We look forward to reporting on our progress with altiratinib, which has the potential to provide an important new option for cancer patients with solid tumors.”

Altiratinib is an oral, small molecule shown to exhibit high potency and selectivity for inhibiting MET, TIE2, VEGFR2 and TRK kinases in cellular and in vivo cancer studies. Inhibition of MET kinase blocks a key mechanism in tumor cells that causes cancer invasiveness and metastasis. Altiratinib also inhibits activation loop oncogenic MET mutants known to drive certain cancers including papillary renal cell carcinoma. Inhibition of these key kinases also blocks major mechanisms of tumor microenvironment invasiveness and metastasis. By inhibiting these kinases altiratinib blocks the mechanisms that tumors use to build new blood vessels required for tumor growth offering the potential to more durably inhibit tumor blood vessel formation than approaches that only impact one of these pathways. In addition, inhibition of TRK signaling has been shown to be an important mechanism for treatment of a wide range of tumors.