NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – OncoDNA announced today that it has signed an agreement to provide patient-enrollment services for on ongoing clinical study of Kura Oncology's head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) drug tipifarnib.
Tipifarnib is a protein farnesyl transferase inhibitor originally developed by Johnson & Johnson for a variety of cancers. Kura acquired the oncology rights to the drug in 2015 and is currently testing it in Phase II trials for HNSCC with HRAS mutations, peripheral T cell lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.
Under the terms of the deal, OncoDNA will help Kura screen for HRAS-mutant HNSCC patients at study sites, as well as support its recruitment efforts by informing physicians with eligible HNSCC patients about potential treatment and clinical trial options.
Additional terms were not disclosed.
"This agreement is in line with our strategy of collaborating with biopharmaceutical companies," OncoDNA CEO Jean-Pol Detiffe said in a statement. "As we develop our business through Europe and beyond, collaborations such as these demonstrate our ability to assist biopharmaceutical companies with their drug-development programs and support the push towards better patient care."
Earlier this month, OncoDNA inked a similar patient-enrollment services deal with BioClin Therapeutics.