5 December 2019 - - US-based clinical-stage biotechnology company Kyn Therapeutics is rebranding to Ikena Oncology, the company said.

The rebranding reflects the evolution of the company beyond its continued achievements in immuno-metabolism, as well as its renewed commitment to biomarker-driven oncology drug development.

The rebranding is accompanied by announcement of the clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration of the company's investigational new drug application for IK-175, a small molecule antagonist of AHR.

In addition, Ikena unveiled a new discovery program aimed at modulating the Hippo signaling pathway for treatment of cancer.

Ikena has five development and discovery programs with multiple clinical and regulatory milestones expected in 2020, including report of preliminary clinical data on its lead program IK-007, an EP4 antagonist.

The new name "Ikena" is derived from the combination of "i" which refers to the individual patient and "ken" which means knowledge, thereby illustrating the company's focus on using its insights to identify patients most likely to benefit from its therapies.

The expanded Ikena Oncology development pipeline is composed of patient-directed programmes addressing distinct molecular targets and biologic pathways within and outside of immuno-metabolism, including immunotherapies and tumor cell intrinsic product candidates.

Ikena Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops patient-directed, biomarker-driven therapies for cancer patients who need life-saving treatment, by understanding what drives their disease.

Ikena is advancing five clinical, preclinical and discovery programs: IK-007, an EP4 receptor antagonist; IK-175, an AHR antagonist; IK-412, a kynurenine-degrading enzyme; discovery-stage molecules targeting the Hippo signaling pathway; and a discovery-stage program against an undisclosed target.

Ikena has entered into a global strategic collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb on the AHR antagonist and Kynase programs. Ikena has raised capital from top tier investors OrbiMed Advisors and Atlas Venture.