Kancera AB (publ) reports new preclinical results supporting the potential for KAN571, a ROR1 inhibitor, for treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a subtype of B-cell malignancies. Preclinical studies of KAN571 in MCL cell lines show that KAN571 effectively eliminates cancer cells that are resistant to established therapies. Kancera develops two therapies against B-cell malignancies: Fractalkine blocker KAND145 for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) through inhibition of nurse like cells derived from monocytes, ROR1 inhibitor KAN571 for treatment of B-cell malignancies such as MCL by inducing programmed cell death, so called apoptosis.

This operational update concerns development of KAN571 for the treatment of MCL. In collaboration with leading B-cell malignancies researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona, Kancera has conducted in-vivo and in-vitro studies of KAN571 in MCL cell lines and patient derived tumor cells. The results show that KAN571: is effective in eliminating primary human cancer cells implanted in rodents, increases the effect of two established and commonly used drugs: venetoclax and ibrutinib, is effective in killing cancer cells that have acquired resistance to ibrutinib and venetoclax.