Benzinga | May 17, 2021 07:26AM EDT

Foghorn Therapeutics Announces Dosing of First Patient in First-in-Human Clinical Program of FHD-286

Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:FHTX), a company pioneering the discovery and development of a new class of medicines targeting genetically determined dependencies within the chromatin regulatory system, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a first-in-human clinical trial of FHD-286 in metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM). A separate clinical study of FHD-286 in relapsed/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is also underway.

FHD-286 is a selective inhibitor of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex ATPases BRG1 and BRM, and the first program in Foghorn's diverse pipeline of novel drug candidates targeting genetically determined dependencies within the chromatin regulatory system. FHD-286 is not only the company's first clinical stage program, the company believes it is also the first drug candidate directly targeting the chromatin regulatory system to enter clinical trials.

"Initiating our first clinical studies of FHD-286 is an important milestone for Foghorn, validating the potential of our Gene Traffic Control(r) platform to develop novel therapeutics and improve the lives of people with devastating diseases," said Sam Agresta M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer of Foghorn Therapeutics. "People with metastatic uveal melanoma and relapsed/refractory AML as well as MDS have limited treatment options. Based on our precise understanding of the dependencies that these cancers have on the chromatin regulatory system, we believe our dual inhibitor, FHD-286, has the potential to alter the course of disease of these people with uveal melanoma and AML as well as other diseases. In addition, we are continuing to study the effects of BRG1/BRM inhibition in other solid and hematologic tumor types for potential indication expansion in the future."

Both the FHD-286 metastatic uveal melanoma and AML (including MDS), clinical trials are first-in-human and first-in-class. Each is an open-label, monotherapy, dose-escalation study evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical activity of FHD-286 administered orally. To learn more about the first-in-human clinical trial of FHD-286 in metastatic uveal melanoma, please visit here.