Preclinical Data Show Annamycin Makes Pancreatic Cancer Responsive to Checkpoint Inhibitors, Opening a Combination Path with Immunotherapies
Globe Newswire•10/11/2026•14:45 ET
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Key Highlights
- ➤Combination significantly increased survival in pancreatic cancer mice versus either agent alone
- ➤CD8+ T-cell inhibition shortened survival, confirming immune contribution to Annamycin activity
- ➤Annamycin achieved substantially higher, sustained pancreatic exposure than doxorubicin
- ➤Moleculin plans an investigator-initiated pancreatic cancer trial in 2027
- ➤MIRACLE AML trial remains priority, with Q1 2027 data readout planned
Expert Statements
Walter Klemp, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin
“In April we showed Annamycin reaches pancreatic tumors in animal models and shrinks them. In September we showed the immune system is part of why. These data close the loop: when you pair Annamycin with a checkpoint inhibitor the animals live longer than with either drug alone,”
Walter Klemp, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin
“This combination logic presents an exciting opportunity for potentially enabling immuno-oncology approaches in pancreatic cancer, and it comes with an additional benefit as Annamycin, in contrast to doxorubicin, has been shown to avoid cardiotoxicity in preclinical and clinical studies. While our immediate priority remains the MIRACLE trial in AML and its Q1 2027 data readout, this body of work continues to expand the strategic value of Annamycin well beyond AML.”
Waldemar Priebe, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
“Topoisomerase II is a validated but effectively undrugged target in pancreatic cancer, not because the target is wrong but because doxorubicin does not appear to reach the pancreas and consequently pancreatic cancer in sufficient concentration. We have successfully demonstrated in preclinical models that Annamycin does,”
Waldemar Priebe, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
“What we did not anticipate is that once it is there, its action increases tumor infiltration of functional CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes, and that is what makes the combination with checkpoint blockade work.”
Inhibition of CD8+ T cells shortens survival in Annamycin-treated mice, demonstrating the immune system is a functional contributor to Annamycin’s antitumor activity, not a bystander
Annamycin achieves substantially higher pancreatic tissue exposure than doxorubicin, offering a potential explanation for why topoisomerase II, a validated target in pancreatic cancer, has never been successfully drugged there
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