Caspian Therapeutics shares preclinical data on KO-7246 for diabetes

Caspian Therapeutics and Kura Oncology (Nasdaq: KURA) announced preclinical data for KO-7246, a menin inhibitor being developed for diabetes, at the 62nd European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy on Sept. 29, 2026.

The data, generated by Kura Oncology prior to Caspian's launch in September 2026, were presented by Francis Burrows, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Kura Oncology. KO-7246 is an orally bioavailable compound currently in IND-enabling development.

In a rat model of Type 1 diabetes, KO-7246 normalized fasting blood glucose in a majority of animals and increased stimulated C-peptide, a marker of endogenous insulin production. Pancreatic islets in responder animals regenerated to 40-90% of levels seen in healthy controls by Day 56. Normalized glucose levels and increased C-peptide were maintained for at least one month after treatment was stopped.

In a mouse model of Type 2 diabetes, KO-7246 reduced fasting blood glucose, increased insulin and C-peptide levels, and produced a 3.4-fold increase in β-cell mass. The compound also showed enhanced activity in combination with semaglutide. The increase in insulin was not associated with hypoglycemia.

In human pancreatic islet models, KO-7246 increased β-cell proliferation and improved insulin release in response to glucose without stimulating growth of other islet cells.

The presentation included a comparison with BMF-219 (icovamenib), another compound in clinical development for diabetes. According to the data, BMF-219 showed no discernable activity against menin in a biochemical assay and did not normalize glycemic control or increase β-cell mass in the Type 1 diabetes model.

"Caspian was formed to translate this biology into potentially disease-modifying medicines," said Robert Spencer, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer of Caspian Therapeutics. "We are advancing KO-7246 through IND-enabling development toward initial clinical evaluation."

Caspian and Kura management plan to host a webcast and conference call on Oct. 13, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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