Multi-Institutional Team Awarded NCI Grant to Open Novel AML Trial

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2025 /The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center (UC), The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) and Jabez Biosciences are partnering to open a new phase 1 clinical trial studying JBZ-001, a potential new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The trial is supported by a more than $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health 's National Cancer Institute awarded to UC and OSUCCC - James. It also offers a new approach for research and industry partnerships that will benefit patients by improving efficiency for the therapeutic pipeline.

AML is diagnosed in more than 20,000 individuals per year in the U.S., with more than half of these patients estimated to die each year. This high mortality rate emphasizes the need for new treatments, and JBZ-001 has demonstrated best in class pharmaceutical properties with worldwide patent protection.

The development of the trial drug is unique, as it was initially developed as part of an undergraduate chemistry class at Hendrix College in Arkansas under the mentorship of Thomas Goodwin, PhD. The class was focused on developing small-molecule inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a critical pathway for cancer cell proliferation, using a novel synthesis method called the Suzuki reaction.

The project progressed when Goodwin approached John C. Byrd, MD, a Hendrix alumnus, board member and former student of his. Byrd, along with Erin Hertlein, PhD, and Ola Elgamal, PhD, performed preclinical testing of the drug at OSU before moving to UC in 2021.

In collaboration with the Drug Development Institute at OSU, many iterations of the initial compounds (originally referred to as the HOSU series for Hendrix and OSU) were tested until HOSU-53 was developed as the lead candidate for human therapy trials. HOSU-53 was licensed by Jabez Biosciences in 2024 and then became JBZ-001.

The development of JBZ-001 marks a significant milestone in Jabez Biosciences ' "bench-to-bedside" academic collaboration, with the compound receiving Investigational New Drug approval for first-in-human trials in solid tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2024. A Phase 1 trial is currently underway at the OSUCCC - James.

"Jabez Biosciences is extremely proud and grateful to be partnering with the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center and The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at OSU in a new JBZ-001 phase 1 trial in AML," said Tamara Jovonovich, PhD, chief executive officer of Jabez Biosciences. "The excitement around this potential treatment is growing exponentially and this collaboration exemplifies the commitment each has to realizing the potential of JBZ-001 in oncology care."

The Phase 1 clinical study in AML will open at UC and OSU in 2026. This study aims to assess the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of JBZ-001 in patients with AML. Co-principal investigators Byrd, Hertlein and OSU 's Alice Mims, MD, and Christopher Coss, PhD, will partner to define pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic exposure-response relationships in patients with AML treated with JBZ-001.

"We are excited to move JBZ-001 from the bench to the clinic," said Byrd, a University of Cincinnati Cancer Center physician-researcher and the Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Professor and Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine. "This three-institution collaboration has been phenomenal. We are grateful for the NCI support to do this trial."

Additional studies will be performed to study the specific mechanism(s) of action, and single cell sequencing technologies will explore potential resistance mechanisms.

"We are thrilled to work with UC and Jabez Biosciences to explore JBZ-001 as a potential new therapeutic option for patients with AML," said Mims, professor of internal medicine and co-leader of the OSUCCC - James Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Program. "Though there have been advances made in the past 10 years for new therapeutic options for patients with AML, most patients are still not cured of their disease. Novel treatments to improve patient outcomes remain a high need in these patient populations."

At UC, the trial will join more than 40 additional open trials for blood cancers operating at the Blood Cancer Healing Center. Other UC investigators involved with this study include Emily Curran, MD, and Shesh Rai, PhD.

About the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center

By leveraging cutting-edge research, delivering the most advanced clinical care, active community engagement and dedication to training the next generation of cancer researchers and providers, the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is working to reduce the incidence, disparities, toxicity and societal consequences of cancer. The Cancer Center forms a formidable coalition of expertise boasting a membership of over 250 researchers and physician-scientists from the University of Cincinnati, UC Health and Cincinnati Children 's Hospital. Learn more at cancer.uc.edu.

AboutThe Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center aligned with a nationally ranked academic medical center and a freestanding cancer hospital on the campus of one of the nation 's largest public universities.

The OSUCCC - James has been designated as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center since 1976. Also, it is one of only a few centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials on novel anticancer agents provided by the NCI. Altogether, Ohio State 's cancer program comprises some 1,700 researchers.

As the cancer program 's adult patient-care component, The James is one of the top cancer hospitals in the nation as ranked by U.S. News & World Report for 26 years and has achieved Magnet recognition, the highest honor an organization can receive for quality patient care and professional nursing practice.

Through this integration, the OSUCCC - James is a global leader in such emerging disciplines as cellular therapy and immuno-oncology. In 2017, the OSUCCC - James was among the first hospitals in the United States to offer the first cellular therapy for blood cancers, known as CAR T-cell therapy, and is playing a major role in the continuing development of this and other cellular therapies.

About Jabez Biosciences

Jabez Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical oncology company focused on developing transformative therapies for liquid and solid tumors by leveraging small molecules in combination therapies. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, Jabez is driven by a mission to improve and extend lives through innovative treatments targeting cancer 's core mechanisms. For more information about Jabez Biosciences, Inc. and its clinical programs, please visit www.jabezbio.com.

SOURCE: Jabez Biosciences

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