Vivace Therapeutics, Inc., a small molecule discovery and development company developing first-in-class therapies targeting the Hippo pathway, announced on Wednesday that it is presenting the first clinical data for a cancer treatment aimed at the Hippo pathway at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023.

The outcome from the firm's Phase one clinical study of its first-in-class transcriptional improved associate domain (TEAD) autopalmitoylation inhibitor, VT3989, will be revealed by Timothy A. Yap, PhD., of the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, during an oral plenary session at the conference.

The Phase one study, a multi-centre, open label trial, tested the product in subjects with refractory metastatic solid tumours, including refractory pleural malignant mesothelioma. It included a dose escalation and a dose expansion phase. The latter of which also enrolled subjects with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) mutant tumours.

The product inhibits palmitoylation of members of the TEAD protein family, including both covalent and non-covalent inhibitors. Pre-clinical research and development activities have indicated that the product is active as a monotherapy against tumours that rely upon dysfunction of the Hippo pathway, and in combination with other anti-cancer therapies in additional tumour types.