SAN DIEGO, Jan. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that Mollie Leoni, M.D., has been promoted to Chief Medical Officer after serving as Executive Vice President of Clinical Development and clinical lead for the Company’s ziftomenib program since 2020. In addition, Francis Burrows, Ph.D., has been promoted to Chief Scientific Officer after leading the Company’s translational research efforts for the past nine years. Stephen Dale, M.D., has stepped down as Chief Medical Officer, effective as of January 2, 2025, to focus on recovery from personal health challenges.
“Stephen has been a key contributor to our development programs over the past several years,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and CEO of Kura Oncology. “Under his leadership, we successfully navigated Project Optimus, advanced ziftomenib through a first registration-enabling study and laid the foundation for KO-2806 as a promising combination partner across multiple solid tumor indications. On behalf of our team at Kura, we thank Stephen for his invaluable contributions to our team, culture and programs and wish him well as he prioritizes his health.”
“We are very fortunate to have such exceptional leaders ready to lead our research and development organization,” Dr. Wilson continued. “Mollie’s proven leadership and expertise have positioned ziftomenib as a potentially transformational therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Additionally, Francis has been instrumental in driving our pipeline innovation, with programs addressing gastrointestinal stromal tumors, diabetes, clear cell renal cell carcinoma and KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. I look forward to working closely with Mollie and Francis as we continue to advance our mission and maximize the value of all our programs.”
Dr. Leoni joined Kura in February 2020 as Vice President of Clinical Development and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Clinical Development in July 2023. With a robust background in oncology and orphan drug disease development, she previously served as Executive Director of Medical Science at Kyowa Kirin, where she led clinical efforts for several oncology programs, including mogamulizumab, which achieved international registration for cutaneous T- cell lymphoma. Dr. Leoni earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and completed extensive training bioethics before entering postgraduate training at Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Burrows joined Kura in July 2014 as Vice President of Translational Biology, bringing more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development. Throughout his career, he has focused on the biology of disease, primarily cancer, and the discovery and development of small molecule drugs. His career includes founding two biotech startups, including Conforma Therapeutics, acquired by Biogen in 2006. At Biogen, Francis spearheaded multiple oncology programs and explored the use of Hsp90 inhibitors for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. He earned his Ph.D. in immunology and completed his training in London and Dallas, specializing in antibody-based therapeutics for cancer.
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. Ziftomenib, a once-daily, oral menin inhibitor, is the first and only investigational therapy to receive Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) NPM1-mutant AML. In November 2024, Kura entered a global strategic collaboration agreement with Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. to develop and commercialize ziftomenib for AML and other hematologic malignancies. Enrollment in a Phase 2 registration-directed trial of ziftomenib in R/R NPM1-mutant AML has been completed and the companies anticipate submission of a New Drug Application in 2025. Kura is also conducting a series of clinical trials to evaluate ziftomenib in combination with current standards of care in newly diagnosed and R/R NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged AML. KO-2806, a next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor, is being evaluated in a Phase 1 dose-escalation trial as a monotherapy and in combination with targeted therapies. Tipifarnib, a potent and selective FTI, is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. For additional information, please visit Kura’s website at https://kuraoncology.com/ and follow us on X and LinkedIn.
