HANGZHOU, China and LONDON, March 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MindRank, a clinical stage artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered drug discovery company, announces today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for MRANK-106, a first-in-class, orally available dual inhibitor of WEE1 and YES1 kinases, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Based on extensive preclinical studies, MRANK-106 is differentiated from other WEE1 inhibitors in development by its:
- Dual targeting of WEE1 and YES1 kinases, providing synergistic anti-tumor effects
- Superior efficacy as a single agent and in combination therapies across various cancer models
- Preferential distribution in tissues and tumors over plasma (10- to 120-fold selectivity), reducing WEE1 on-target hematotoxicity
- Improved safety window compared to single-target WEE1 inhibitors
The Phase I clinical trial, set to launch in 2025, will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of MRANK-106 in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
Powered by MindRank’s cutting-edge AI-driven drug discovery platform, Molecule Pro™, and its proprietary knowledge graph platform, PharmKG™, the company has rapidly advanced MRANK-106 from preclinical candidate confirmation (PCC) to IND clearance. As MindRank’s first officially nominated First-in-Class candidate, MRANK-106 marks a significant milestone in the company’s pursuit of breakthrough therapies.
“The FDA IND clearance of MRANK-106 is a significant milestone for MindRank and validates the potential of our AI-driven approach to drug discovery. As the company’s second clinical-stage pipeline following our GLP-1 program, MRANK-106 demonstrates the versatility and reproducibility of our Molecule Pro™ platform in designing innovative therapies for undruggable targets,” commented Dr. Zhangming Niu, Founder and CEO of MindRank. “By simultaneously targeting WEE1 and YES1 kinases, MRANK-106 has demonstrated remarkable preclinical efficacy in multiple hard-to-treat cancers with limited treatment options. We look forward to evaluating its potential in patients.”
About MRANK-106
MRANK-106 is a novel, orally available dual inhibitor of WEE1 and YES1 kinases discovered using MindRank’s proprietary AI platforms. MRANK-106 has demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity, favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile, and good safety characteristics. The compound overcomes limitations of single-target DNA damage repair inhibitors by synergistically targeting two key proteins involved in DNA damage response and cancer cell proliferation.
Preclinical data demonstrate strong efficacy in pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer models. MRANK-106’s superior preclinical efficacy and safety profiles indicate its best-in-class potential for multiple cancer indications with large unmet medical needs.
About MindRank
MindRank is an artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered drug discovery company. By leveraging its proprietary AI platforms (PharmKG™, Molecule Dance™ and Molecule Pro™), the company aims to significantly accelerate the drug discovery process and deliver small molecule medicines with differentiations and clinical benefits. Leading asset MDR-001, an AI-designed oral GLP-1RA small molecule, has advanced to a phase 2b clinical study.
For more information, visit www.mindrank.ai.
For BD inquiries, contact [email protected].
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