Kura Oncology Announces Late-Breaking Presentations for Tipifarnib in HRAS Mutant Squamous Head and Neck Cancer and for KO-539 in AML at Upcoming AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:KURA), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for oncology, today announced presentations at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, taking place October 26-30, 2017 in Philadelphia.

A late-breaking poster will be presented on Saturday, October 28, by Dr. Alan Ho of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and will feature data from Kura’s recently-announced positive Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with HRAS mutations. In addition, the poster has been selected as the subject of a short, oral presentation during the Spotlight on Proffered Papers Session 1 on Friday, October 27.

A second late-breaking poster will be presented on Saturday, October 28, and will feature preclinical data for KO-539, Kura’s potent and selective inhibitor of the menin-MLL interaction, supporting the potential clinical utility of KO-539 in NPM1- and DNMT3A-mutant AML.

The schedule and locations for the late-breaking oral presentation and poster presentations is as follows:

Oral Presentation:

Title of Presentation: Preliminary results from a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial of tipifarnib in tumors with HRAS mutations
Date & Time: Friday, October 27, 2017, 10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Alan L. Ho, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session: Spotlight on Proffered Papers Session 1
Location: Terrace Ballroom, 400 Level, Pennsylvania Convention Center

Poster Presentations:

Title of Poster: Preliminary results from a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial of tipifarnib in tumors with HRAS mutations
Date & Time: Saturday, October 28, 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Alan L. Ho, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session: Late-Breaking Poster Session A (Clinical Trials)
Abstract Number: LB-A10
Location: Hall E, Pennsylvania Convention Center

Title of Poster: A novel small molecule menin-MLL inhibitor for potential treatment of MLL-rearranged leukemias and NPM1/DNMT3A-mutant AML
Date & Time: Saturday, October 28, 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT
Presenter: Francis Burrows, Ph.D., Kura Oncology
Late-Breaking Poster Session A (Epigenetic Targets)
Abstract Number: LB-A27
Location: Hall E, Pennsylvania Convention Center

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company’s pipeline consists of small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to improve outcomes by identifying those patients most likely to benefit from treatment. Kura Oncology’s lead drug candidate is tipifarnib, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor, which is currently being studied in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. Kura’s pipeline also includes KO-947, an ERK inhibitor, currently in a Phase 1 trial, and KO-539, an inhibitor of the menin-MLL protein-protein interaction, currently in preclinical testing. For additional information about Kura Oncology, please visit the company’s website at www.kuraoncology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic potential of tipifarnib and KO-539, progress and expected timing of Kura Oncology’s drug development programs and clinical trials and plans regarding future clinical trials and development activities. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include the risk that compounds that appeared promising in early research or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in later preclinical studies or clinical trials, the risk that Kura Oncology may not obtain approval to market its product candidates, uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials, regulatory filings and applications, risks associated with reliance on third parties to successfully conduct clinical trials, the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital requirements, and other risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "promise, " "potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "continues," "designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, please refer to the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date they are made, and Kura Oncology assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT INFORMATION

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Robert H. Uhl
Managing Director
Westwicke Partners, LLC
(858) 356-5932
robert.uhl@westwicke.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mark Corbae
Vice President
Canale Communications
(619) 849-5375
mark@canalecomm.com