WALTHAM, Mass. — Ensem Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, announced it will present new preclinical data at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, scheduled for April 17–22 in San Diego. The presentations highlight the company’s progress in developing next-generation targeted therapies, including its pan-KRAS inhibitor ETX-929 and WRN inhibitor ETX-880.
The data underscore the potential of both drug candidates as differentiated treatments for hard-to-target cancers. ETX-929 is designed to address KRAS-driven solid tumors, while ETX-880 targets microsatellite instability-high cancers, a subset of tumors with limited treatment options.
“These AACR presentations underscore the breadth and depth of ENSEM’s oncology pipeline, fueled by our proprietary Kinetic Ensemble® platform,” said Shengfang Jin, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of ENSEM. “With ETX-929 and ETX-880, we are advancing potential best-in-class small molecule inhibitors against two of the most compelling targets in oncology today—KRAS and WRN. These programs, alongside our clinical-stage PI3Kα program ETX-636, demonstrate the power of our platform to systematically tackle high-value, difficult-to-drug targets with differentiated molecules.”
The company will present findings on ETX-929, an oral inhibitor designed to target multiple KRAS mutations, including KRASG12D, KRASG12V, and KRASG12C. KRAS mutations are among the most common drivers of cancer, accounting for roughly a quarter of all solid tumors, including pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. Ensem said the drug has shown strong anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies and has completed studies required to support an investigational new drug application, with regulatory clearance expected in the second quarter of 2026.
Separately, Ensem will present data on ETX-880, an oral covalent inhibitor targeting the WRN helicase, a protein linked to tumor survival in microsatellite instability-high cancers. These cancers, which include colorectal, endometrial, gastric, and ovarian tumors, often arise from defects in DNA repair mechanisms. While immunotherapy has improved outcomes for some patients, many do not respond or develop resistance over time.
Preclinical results indicate that ETX-880 selectively inhibits tumor cell growth in these cancers, with a mechanism designed to provide sustained suppression of the WRN target. The compound is currently in the IND-enabling stage.
Both presentations will be delivered during the “Novel Antitumor Agents” session on April 19.
