CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MOMA Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a new generation of precision therapeutics, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety and tolerability of MOMA-313, a novel, highly potent and selective oral polymerase theta helicase inhibitor.
MOMA-313 is initially being developed in combination with a PARP inhibitor for patients with solid tumors harboring alterations in certain DNA repair genes, including subgroups of prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer.
In parallel, MOMA announced the selection of a development candidate for its second lead program, MOMA-341, an oral potent and selective covalent Werner helicase inhibitor for treatment of cancers with microsatellite instability. An IND application filing with the FDA is anticipated in the first quarter of 2025.
“We are excited to be progressing two molecules with best-in-class potential toward the benefit of cancer patients in need in such close proximity,” said Asit Parikh, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of MOMA. “The advance into clinical development for a company founded as an idea on paper a few years back is humbling. This progress serves as a testament to the excellence and unwavering commitment of the entire MOMA team.”
“Advancing two highly potent and selective drug candidates derived from our proprietary KNOMATIC platform toward the clinic is a unique privilege,” added Peter Hammerman, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of MOMA. “The goal with each candidate is to translate groundbreaking science into life-altering medicine.”
About MOMA-313 and the Phase 1 Trial
MOMA-313 is a potent and selective oral polymerase theta (Polθ) helicase inhibitor. Polθ is involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks that arise during DNA replication. The Phase 1 trial (NCT06545942) is a multi-center, open-label study designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of MOMA-313 as monotherapy and in combination with the PARP inhibitor olaparib for patients where a PARP inhibitor would be expected to provide benefit. Response to PARP inhibitors can be short-lived due to primary and acquired resistance. Pre-clinical studies suggest that combining a PARP inhibitor with a Polθ inhibitor could afford unique mechanistic potential to deepen and prolong that response.
About MOMA-341
MOMA is developing MOMA-341 as an oral, potent and selective covalent inhibitor of Werner helicase with a novel chemical scaffold as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in tumors with microsatellite instability (e.g., colorectal, gastric, endometrial cancers).
About the KNOMATIC platform
The KNOMATIC platform integrates deep structural insights, advanced hit-finding technologies, and computation-enabled lead optimization to accelerate discovery of novel therapeutics targeting families of highly dynamic proteins, such as ATPases and GTPases. MOMA-313 and MOMA-341 were discovered and developed through the application of the KNOMATIC platform.
About MOMA Therapeutics
MOMA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage, next-generation precision medicine company dedicated to targeting highly dynamic proteins that underlie human disease via a small molecule approach, utilizing its proprietary KNOMATIC platform. The platform was designed to exploit key vulnerabilities inherent to all dynamic proteins, namely their dependence on well-coordinated, stepwise changes in protein conformation. By focusing on genetically validated targets with high translation potential, MOMA is rapidly advancing its pipeline toward responses in the clinic. In January 2024, MOMA announced a five-year discovery collaboration with Roche focused on critical cancer dependencies.
