Clinical Trial Study to be Conducted at UPMC Hillman Cancer to Evaluate Novel Combination as Frontline Therapy
Aug. 06, 2025 -- Actuate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACTU) (“Actuate” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers through the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), today announced the initiation of the Phase 1b trial of elraglusib in combination with Incyte’s PD-1 inhibitor, retifanlimab, and modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) as frontline therapy in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The trial is being conducted in collaboration with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Incyte Corporation.
The Investigator-Initiated Phase 1b open-label, single-arm RiLEY (NCT06896188) trial, led by Anwaar Saeed, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, will initially enroll up to 12 patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma with an expansion plan based on interim efficacy results. The primary objective of the trial is to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) for the combination regimen, while the secondary objectives include evaluation of overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), overall survival (OS), and assessment of safety and tolerability.
“We are very excited to launch this study of elraglusib combined with retifanlimab and mFOLFIRINOX as a potentially synergistic, immune-modulatory approach for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer,” said Anwaar Saeed, MD, study principal investigator. “While the first generation of immune checkpoint (PD-1, PDL-1, CTLA-4) inhibitors, including retifanlimab, has been transformative by targeting key immune pathways and restoring anti-cancer effector cells activity, this study explores complementary mechanisms - particularly those evoked by elraglusib - that may modulate additional checkpoints and work synergistically with existing inhibitors to deepen and broaden anti-tumor responses. A growing body of preclinical and clinical data suggests that elraglusib can stimulate NK/T-cell anticancer effector functions, enhance antigen presentation, and reduce myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the tumor. These effects have been observed in the context of emerging clinical activity in metastatic pancreatic cancer.”
In a recent Phase 2 study, elraglusib in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GnP) in first-line metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) met its primary endpoint, showing a significant increase in median overall survival, a 37% reduction in the risk of death, and a doubling of the 12-month survival rate. In addition, increased CD8-positive and granzyme B-positive T cells, increased NK cells, and decreased myeloid-derived suppressor cells were observed in tumor biopsies only from elraglusib-treated patients, demonstrating elraglusib’s proposed immune modulating mechanism of action in patients with mPDAC.
“We believe the combination of elraglusib with retifanlimab and mFOLFIRINOX represents a novel and mechanistically compelling strategy to address unmet needs in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma,” said Daniel Schmitt, President & Chief Executive Officer of Actuate. “The collaboration with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Incyte enables us to explore new synergistic opportunities for patients who have not yet received systemic therapy and builds on the momentum of our ongoing clinical programs. The study further allows us to assess ways to optimize elraglusib’s potential through a complementary multi-agent approach designed to enhance both efficacy and durability of response.”
In addition, elraglusib is being studied in a separate investigator initiated Phase 2 (NCT05077800) trial in combination with FOLFIRINOX and losartan in treatment-naïve mPDAC patients. Initial data from this Phase 2 trial, which were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (“AACR”) Special Conference on Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research last September, showed patients with extensive liver metastases experienced deep, durable responses to the novel combination treatment. Additional results from that study are expected in 2026.
Actuate is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers. Actuate’s lead investigational drug, elraglusib (a novel GSK-3β inhibitor), targets molecular pathways in cancer that are involved in promoting tumor growth and resistance to conventional cancer drugs such as chemotherapy through the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) and DNA Damage Response (DDR). Elraglusib may also mediate anti-tumor immunity through the regulation of multiple immune checkpoints and immune cell function.
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