Kura Oncology to Present First Long-Term Follow-Up Data Further Supporting Darlifarnib’s Potential to Enhance VEGFR-Targeted Therapy in Renal Cell Carcinoma at KCRS 2026

– Oral presentation will feature updated data from the FIT-001 Phase 1a study of darlifarnib plus cabozantinib in cabozantinib-naïve, advanced ccRCC patients –

– Updated data expected to support darlifarnib’s potential to enhance VEGFR-targeted therapy in ccRCC –

– Global randomized Phase 1b study comparing darlifarnib plus cabozantinib versus cabozantinib alone is ongoing –

– Results continue to support darlifarnib as a precision combination agent across multiple targeted therapy classes –

– Virtual investor call on July 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET –

SAN DIEGO, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that updated Phase 1a results from the ongoing FIT-001 Phase 1a/1b clinical trial (NCT06026410) evaluating darlifarnib in combination with cabozantinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) will be featured in an oral presentation at the 2026 Kidney Cancer Research Summit (KCRS) in Boston.

The presentation will highlight long-term follow-up results in heavily pretreated cabozantinib-naïve patients with refractory RCC, providing further evidence of darlifarnib’s potential as a combination agent with VEGFR-targeted therapies, a widely used treatment approach in this patient population. RCC is the most common form of kidney cancer, and clear cell RCC (ccRCC) is the most common histology in RCC, accounting for more than 61,000 new cases in the U.S. each year.¹

“Despite meaningful advances in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, there remains a significant need for combination strategies capable of delivering deeper and more durable responses,” said Mollie Leoni, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Kura Oncology. “The updated FIT-001 data will further inform the potential of darlifarnib plus cabozantinib as a precision combination strategy in advanced ccRCC. More broadly, Kura’s KCRS presentation builds on the growing body of clinical evidence supporting darlifarnib’s mechanism of action across VEGF-TKI, KRAS and PI3Ka inhibitor combinations, supporting darlifarnib’s potential to enhance clinical activity of these targeted-therapy backbones.”

The KCRS presentation adds to the FIT-001 RCC results presented at ESMO 2025 and additional findings in cabozantinib-exposed ccRCC patients presented at 2026 IKCS: Europe.

Kura is currently enrolling patients in the U.S. and E.U. in the randomized Phase 1b dose-optimization portion of FIT-001 in cabozantinib-naïve, refractory, advanced ccRCC. The randomized Phase 1b portion is evaluating darlifarnib plus cabozantinib versus cabozantinib alone and is designed to inform selection of a recommended Phase 3 dose for a registrational study planned for 2028.

The KCRS presentation represents another step in Kura's broader strategy to establish darlifarnib as a precision combination agent capable of enhancing multiple targeted therapy classes through inhibition of adaptive mTORC1 signaling. The first planned expansion is expected to evaluate darlifarnib in combination with daraxonrasib in previously treated RAS-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

2026 KCRS Presentation Details

Title: Farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI) darlifarnib combined with cabozantinib in renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Updated phase 1a results from FIT-001
Date: July 24, 2026
Time: 3:05 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. ET

Virtual Investor Event
Kura will host a webcast and conference call on July 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET featuring management and Adanma Ayanambakkam, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Hematology Oncology and Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Research, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. The live webcast and replay will be available on the Company’s website at www.kuraoncology.com under the Investors tab in the Events and Presentations section.

About darlifarnib
Darlifarnib is a next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI) designed to inhibit farnesylation of RHEB and suppress mTORC1 signaling, a pathway implicated in adaptive signaling across multiple targeted therapy settings. By suppressing adaptive mTORC1 signaling, darlifarnib is designed to counter a key mechanism of resistance to targeted therapies, with the goal of enhancing the depth and durability of response across multiple targeted therapy classes.

About Kura Oncology
Kura Oncology is a biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. Kura’s pipeline of small molecule drug candidates is designed to target cancer signaling pathways and address high-need hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Kura developed and is commercializing KOMZIFTI^® (ziftomenib), the FDA-approved once-daily, oral menin inhibitor for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia, and continues to pioneer advancements in menin inhibition and farnesyl transferase inhibition. For additional information, please visit the Kura website at https://kuraoncology.com/ and follow us on X and LinkedIn.

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, among other things, statements regarding Kura’s anticipated presentation of data and results at KCRS, the potential of darlifarnib to enhance the activity of cabozantinib and other VEGFR-targeted therapies and to serve as a combination partner for targeted therapies more broadly, and ongoing and planned clinical trials of darlifarnib in combination with cabozantinib and other targeted therapies. 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 may not obtain approval to market its product candidates, uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials, regulatory filings, and other interactions with regulatory bodies, 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,” “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 Kura faces, please refer to Kura’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 assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 

Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Dr. Ayanambakkam's disclosures include consulting or advisory roles with AVEO, Pfizer/Astellas; Johnson & Johnson; Kura Oncology: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, and Research Funding; and Regeneron.

¹ Ozay ZI, Jo Y, Galarza Fortuna G, et al. Treatment and Attrition Trends for Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(3):e251201. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.1201

Kura Contact
Investors and Media:
Greg Mann
858-987-4046
gmann@kuraoncology.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.