eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc. announced the initiation of dosing in an investigator-initiated Phase 1 dose escalation trial evaluating tomivosertib in patients with relapsed/refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The trial will be conducted at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and conducted by Shira Dinner, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology). Leonidas Platanias, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive cancer Center and Professor of Medicine (HemATology and Oncology) and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and Jessica Altman, M.D., Professor of Medicine (Hem atology and Oncology) will serve as Co-Chairs of the trial.

Tomivosertib is an inhibitor of mitogen-activator protein kinase interacting kinase (MNK) 1 and 2 and blocks phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). Each of eFFECTOR's product candidates is designed to act on a single protein that drives the expression of a network of functionally related proteins, including oncoproteins and immunosuppressive proteins in T cells, that together control tumor growth, survival and immune evasion. eFFECTOR's lead product candidate, tomivosertib, is a MNK inhibitor currently being evaluated in KICKSTART, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b trial of tomivosertib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Zotatifin, eFFECTOR's inhibitor of eIF4A, is currently being evaluated in Phase 2a expansion cohorts in certain biomarker-positive solid tumors, including E+ breast cancer and KRAS-mutant NSCLC. eFFECTOR has a global collaboration with Pfizer to develop inhibitors of a third target, eIF4E.