KIN-2787 could be the first therapy to target Class II or Class III BRAF mutation-driven cancers which commonly characterize subsets of melanoma.

The first patient has commenced treatment in Kinnate Biopharma Inc.’s Phase 1 KN-8701 trial of its lead RAF product candidate, KIN-2787, a pan-RAF inhibitor being developed for the treatment of patients with melanoma, lung cancer, and other solid tumors.

While three kinase inhibitor drugs targeting the Class I BRAF mutations have been approved by the FDA, KIN-2787 could be the first therapy to target Class II or Class III BRAF mutation-driven cancers which commonly characterize subsets of melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumors, the company states.

The KN-8701 trial is a multi-center, open-label, two-part study of approximately 115 patients to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and preliminary efficacy of KIN-2787 in adults with Class I, Class II, or Class III BRAF-mutated advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

"Successfully targeting patients with Class II and Class III BRAF mutations remains a substantial unmet need in cancer care. KIN-2787 brings a unique approach to potentially address the shortcomings of existing therapies by inhibiting dimer signaling in specific patient populations with BRAF mutations while also minimizing MAPK paradoxical activation," says Meredith McKean, MD, MPH, Associate Director, Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Tennessee Oncology, in a news release. "We are proud to be the first site to treat a patient with KIN-2787 and look forward to working with Kinnate to continue enrollment in this important Phase 1 trial.”

More Kinnate News

In May 2021, Kinnate closed a $35 million Series A preferred stock financing of a China joint venture (“China JV”), of which Kinnate is the majority shareholder. Established with OrbiMed Asia Partners, OrbiMed Private Investments and Foresite Capital, the China JV will be headquartered in Shanghai and the financing will enable the potential development and commercialization by the China JV of certain Kinnate targeted oncology product candidates across Greater China (PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau).
The company appointed Neha Krishnamohan as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, and continued to expand the leadership team, including with the appointment of Ken Kobayashi, M.D., our Senior Vice President, Clinical Development.

In addition, Helen Sabzevari, Ph.D. was appointed to the Board of Directors, and Stephen Kaldor, Ph.D., one of  the founders, was not nominated for re-election to the Board of Directors when his term expired at our 2021 annual meeting of shareholders.

Kinnate expanded the organization to 52 full-time employees at June 30, 2021, of which 39 were engaged in research and development activities.

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Second quarter net loss for 2021 was $21.4 million, compared to $7.6 million for the same period in 2020, the company reported.

Second quarter research and development expenses for 2021 were $16.2 million, compared to $5.6 million for the same period in 2020. Second quarter general and administrative expenses for 2021 were $5.3 million, compared to $2.0 million for the same period in 2020.

As of June 30, 2021, the total of cash and cash equivalents and investments was $365.1 million, exclusive of $35.0 million in the China JV.

“2021 continues to be a year of progress for Kinnate. Initiating our first in-human trial for KIN-2787 and dosing our first patient were important steps forward toward expanding options for cancer patients who are not benefiting from currently approved RAF inhibitors," says Nima Farzan, Chief Executive Officer of Kinnate. "As we enter the second half of the year, our expanding team of clinical and business leaders are well positioned to drive further progress in our KIN-2787 program and advance our pipeline of targeted precision oncology therapies, including our lead FGFR inhibitor candidate for which we anticipate filing an IND in the first half of 2022.”