Ryvu Therapeutics S.A. announced promising translational data on RVU120 in combination with MEK inhibitors at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) 2023 being held on December 5?9, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. In the study, the responsiveness of RVU120, a highly selective and potent CDK8/CDK19 inhibitor, was evaluated in combination with MEK inhibitors in hormone-negative breast cancer. The cell lines where the synergy between CDK8/CDK19 inhibitors and MEK inhibitors was observed exhibited EGFR amplification and markers of an activated RAS pathway.

This pattern of response was consistent across different MEK and MEK/RAF inhibitors, including selumetinib, trametinib, and avutometinib. In addition, sustained activation of both AKT and mTORC1 signaling was identified as a candidate resistance marker predicting synergistic activity of a RVU120/MEKi combination. These findings highlight the synergistic potential of combining RVU120 with MEK inhibitors in hormone-negative BC, particularly in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) with EGFR amplification and an active RAS pathway.