Kura Oncology, Inc.

Caspian Therapeutics Unveils KO-7246 at EASD as a Potential Best-In-Class Menin Inhibitor for Diabetes

Kura Oncology and newly launched spinout Caspian Therapeutics presented preclinical data at EASD supporting KO-7246 as a potential best-in-class menin inhibitor for diabetes. In a Type 1 diabetes rat model, KO-7246 normalized fasting glucose and regenerated islets to 40-90% of healthy-control levels, with benefit persisting at least one month after dosing ended. In a Type 2 model it produced a 3.4-fold increase in beta-cell mass and showed enhanced activity with semaglutide. Comparative data positioned KO-7246 ahead of BMF-219 (icovamenib), which showed no discernible menin activity in the presented assays. KO-7246 remains pre-IND under Caspian, limiting near-term read-through to KURA.

•1mo ago

Kura Oncology Launches Caspian Therapeutics with $50 Million Financing to Advance Menin Inhibition as a Potential Disease-Modifying Approach for Diabetes

Kura Oncology launched Caspian Therapeutics, a separately financed company that will develop the menin inhibitor KO-7246 as a potential disease-modifying therapy for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases. Caspian completed a $50 million financing led by BVF Partners with participation from the T1D Fund, Invus, Montanova, Eli Lilly and Company, and Kura itself, funding IND-enabling development and initial clinical proof of concept. Kura retains approximately half of Caspian on a fully diluted basis plus board representation while staying focused on oncology. Preclinical studies showed KO-7246 selectively expanded pancreatic beta-cell mass, increased endogenous insulin production, and improved glycemic control across multiple diabetes models, with data selected for oral presentation at the EASD Annual Meeting on September 29, 2026. Robert Spencer, Ph.D., previously CEO of Neurommune Therapeutics, was appointed President and COO of Caspian, and the company plans to submit an IND for KO-7246 as soon as practicable.

•1mo ago

Kura Oncology Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Kura Oncology reported Q2 2026 total revenue of $20.9 million, driven by KOMZIFTI net product revenue of $9.1 million which increased 57% sequentially to approximately 115 new patient starts. The drug achieved majority share of new patient starts in the R/R NPM1-m AML menin inhibitor class in its second full quarter, while clinical updates showed durable responses for ziftomenib and proof-of-mechanism for darlifarnib in solid tumors. The company ended the quarter with $519.0 million in cash and anticipates $180 million in collaboration payments, providing a runway through the topline readout of the pivotal Phase 3 KOMET-017 trial in 2028.

•2mo ago

Kura Oncology Announces Publication in Blood Highlighting Ziftomenib’s Differentiated Binding Profile and Preclinical Activity

Kura Oncology announced the publication of a manuscript in the journal Blood detailing the discovery and preclinical characterization of ziftomenib, a menin inhibitor approved in 2025 for relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutated AML. The study highlights ziftomenib’s differentiated binding profile and its ability to retain activity against certain treatment-emergent MEN1 mutations associated with resistance to other inhibitors. Management emphasized that these findings validate the molecular properties that enabled the drug's clinical advancement and support ongoing combination strategies across the AML treatment continuum.

•2mo ago

Kura Oncology Reports Durable Clinical Activity of Darlifarnib Plus Cabozantinib in Cabozantinib-Naïve Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients at KCRS 2026

Kura Oncology reported updated Phase 1a data from the FIT-001 trial showing an objective response rate of up to 50% and median progression-free survival of 13 months for darlifarnib plus cabozantinib in pre-treated ccRCC patients. The combination demonstrated a manageable safety profile consistent with the individual agents, with activity comparing favorably to historical monotherapy benchmarks. The company is now enrolling patients in a randomized Phase 1b dose-optimization study to select a recommended dose for a planned registrational trial in 2028.

•3mo ago

Kura Oncology to Present First Long-Term Follow-Up Data Further Supporting Darlifarnib’s Potential to Enhance VEGFR-Targeted Therapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma at KCRS 2026

Kura Oncology announced that updated Phase 1a results from the FIT-001 study evaluating darlifarnib combined with cabozantinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma will be presented at the 2026 Kidney Cancer Research Summit. The long-term follow-up data provides further evidence supporting darlifarnib’s potential to enhance VEGFR-targeted therapies in cabozantinib-naïve patients. The company is currently enrolling patients in the randomized Phase 1b portion of the study and plans to initiate a registrational study in 2028.

•3mo ago

Kura Oncology And Kyowa Kirin Report Encouraging Long-Term Results for Ziftomenib / 7+3 Combination In Newly Diagnosed AML

Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin reported encouraging long-term results from the Phase 1/2 KOMET-007 trial evaluating ziftomenib plus 7+3 chemotherapy in newly diagnosed AML. In the NPM1-mutant cohort, the regimen achieved a 96% composite complete remission rate and a 94% 12-month overall survival rate, significantly outperforming historical benchmarks for standard-of-care chemotherapy alone. The KMT2A-rearranged cohort also showed strong activity with a 90% composite complete remission rate and 71% 12-month overall survival, with high rates of measurable residual disease negativity in both subtypes. These data support the ongoing Phase 3 KOMET-017 registrational trials and suggest ziftomenib could become a foundational backbone in frontline AML therapy, potentially reducing the need for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

•4mo ago

Kura Oncology Highlights Darlifarnib’s Potential as a Foundational Combination Platform for KRAS-Mutant Cancers and Outlines Development Strategy

Kura Oncology presented preliminary Phase 1a data from the FIT-001 study at ASCO, showing darlifarnib plus adagrasib achieved confirmed objective response rates of 67% in pancreatic cancer and 50% in non-small cell lung cancer. The combination also showed a 29% response rate in KRAS inhibitor-naïve colorectal cancer patients, with tumor shrinkage observed in 77% of all evaluable patients and 94% of KRAS inhibitor-naïve patients. Management highlighted these results as the third clinical validation of its farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI) strategy, supporting a new platform study to evaluate darlifarnib across multiple targeted therapies, starting with darlifarnib plus daraxonrasib in early 2027.

•4mo ago

Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin Announce Publication in Blood of Ziftomenib plus Venetoclax / Azacitidine Combination in Patients with R/R NPM1-m AML

Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin announced the publication of updated results from the KOMET-007 Phase 1a/b trial in the journal Blood. The data showed an 87% objective response rate and 70% composite complete remission rate in venetoclax-naïve patients with relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutated AML treated with ziftomenib plus venetoclax and azacitidine. In venetoclax-experienced patients, the combination yielded a 48% ORR and 24% CRc rate, with a favorable safety profile including low rates of differentiation syndrome.

•4mo ago

Kura Oncology Reports Strong Clinical Activity and Safety with Darlifarnib + Adagrasib in KRAS G12C-Mutated Solid Tumors

Kura Oncology reported positive Phase 1a data for darlifarnib combined with adagrasib in KRAS G12C-mutated solid tumors, presenting at ASCO 2026. The combination achieved objective response rates of 67% in pancreatic cancer, 50% in non-small cell lung cancer, and 29% in colorectal cancer, with 77% of response-evaluable patients showing tumor shrinkage. Results included activity in heavily pretreated and KRAS inhibitor-experienced patients, supporting darlifarnib’s potential to overcome resistance mechanisms via mTORC1 blockade.

•5mo ago

Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin to Present Updated Frontline Ziftomenib / 7+3 Combination Data at EHA 2026 Congress

Kura Oncology and partner Kyowa Kirin announced updated Phase 1 data for the frontline combination of ziftomenib and 7+3 chemotherapy in AML. The 99-patient dataset showed high composite complete response rates of 96% in NPM1-mutant and 90% in KMT2A-rearranged patients, with MRD negativity exceeding 80% in both subtypes. Durability was encouraging, with median duration of CRc not reached at 14.9 months follow-up for NPM1-m patients, and the registrational Phase 3 KOMET-017 trial is currently enrolling.

•5mo ago