eFFECTOR Presents Data on its Selective Translation Regulators at AACR 2019 Annual Meeting


SAN DIEGO, March 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the development of selective translation regulators (STRs) for the treatment of cancer, today announced that data from all three of its pipeline programs – tomivosertib, eFT226 and its eIF4E program – will be presented at the AACR 2019 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, occurring March 29 through April 3.

In a late-breaking poster, eFFECTOR scientists detailed experiments demonstrating that tomivosertib enhances CAR T cell activity by modulating the differentiation of T cells into T stem cell memory and T central memory populations.

Other presentations at AACR include:

eFT226 program

And

eIF4E program

Tomivosertib program

About Tomivosertib (eFT508)

Tomivosertib is eFFECTOR’s wholly-owned, highly selective translation regulator that inhibits MNK1 and MNK2 (MNK1/2) acting at the level of mRNA translation. The oral small molecule drug candidate promotes anti-tumor immune activity by selective down regulation of several immune checkpoint receptors and specific immunosuppressive cytokines.

Tomivosertib in being evaluated in ongoing Phase 2 clinical studies in cancers that may respond to MNK inhibition. Tomivosertib is being evaluated as an add-on when patients are experiencing insufficient response to an FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitor [NCT03616834] and in a separate study in patients with castration resistant prostate cancer [NCT03690141].

Please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov for further information on ongoing clinical studies of tomivosertib.

About eFT226
eFT226 is eFFECTOR’s wholly-owned sequence selective inhibitor of eIF4A1-dependent translation. eIF4A1 is an RNA helicase that facilitates the translation of select highly structured mRNA. In preclinical models and cancer cell lines, treatment with eFT226 leads to coordinated translational inhibition of key oncoproteins, including receptor tyrosine kinases HER2, EGFR, FGFR1/2 and c-MET, KRAS, CDK4 and CyclinD1/3, resulting in significant anti-tumor activity in breast cancer, lung cancer and hematologic tumor models. eFFECTOR is planning for the clinical evaluation of eFT226 in patients with select solid tumors.

About eFFECTOR Therapeutics

eFFECTOR Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of an emerging class of therapeutics known as selective translation regulators or STRs. By acting on key biological mechanisms responsible for tumor growth and immune suppression, STRs represent a promising small molecule approach for treating cancer. eFFECTOR’s most advanced program, tomivosertib (eFT508), is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of several types of cancer. eFFECTOR has entered into clinical collaborations with a strategic alliance between Pfizer and Merck KGaA to study tomivosertib in combination with avelumab and separately with Merck & Co to evaluate tomivosertib in combination with KEYTRUDA. Additionally, the company has an emerging pipeline of promising STR programs targeting well-known oncogenes and intractable targets. eFFECTOR maintains global rights to all of its development programs. For more information visit www.effector.com.

Contacts:

Investors:
Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
858-366-3243
amy@juniper-point.com 

Media:
Heidi Chokeir, Ph.D.
Canale Communications
619-849-5377
heidi@canalecomm.com