Whitehawk Therapeutics Presents Real-World Analyses Supporting PTK7 as a Durable ADC Target in EGFR Wild-Type Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer at WCLC 2026
Whitehawk Therapeutics Presents Real-World Analyses Supporting PTK7 as a Durable ADC Target in EGFR Wild-Type Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer at WCLC 2026 |
| [13-September-2026] |
PTK7 Expression Remained Stable Following Standard-of-Care Therapies, Supporting Its Relevance as Findings Reinforce the Scientific Rationale for HWK-007, Whitehawk's Next-Generation PTK7-Directed MORRISTOWN, N.J., Sept. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: WHWK), a clinical-stage oncology therapeutics company applying advanced technologies to established tumor biology to efficiently develop improved antibody drug conjugate (ADC) cancer treatments, today announced the presentation of two real-world analyses supporting protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) as a durable and clinically relevant ADC target in patients with pretreated, EGFR wild-type non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The data will be presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, taking place September 12-15, 2026, in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
In tumor samples from patients with EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma, PTK7 expression remained largely stable following standard-of-care (SoC) treatments, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and demonstrated less treatment associated variation than several other ADC targets in late-stage development. PTK7 expression was also generally consistent regardless of the presence or absence of other actionable genomic alterations (AGA). These findings indicate PTK7 remains available for targeted ADCs for patients that have progressed through multiple lines of SoC therapy and across clinically relevant subgroups. A separate analysis of patients with advanced EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma found that real-world overall survival was not impacted based on PTK7-expression, supporting PTK7 as a target-engagement biomarker for ADC payload delivery independent of prognosis in NSCLC. "The development strategy for our PTK7-directed ADC, HWK-007, is grounded in understanding not only where PTK7 is expressed, but also how that expression behaves in a real-world treatment setting," said Margaret Dugan, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Whitehawk Therapeutics. "The stability of PTK7 expression after standard of care therapies, in particular compared to other therapies in late-stage development, add important translational context as we evaluate HWK-007 in patients with EGFR wild-type NSCLC." Key Findings: Durable and Treatment-Agnostic PTK7 Expression in EGFR Wild-Type Lung Adenocarcinoma Supports Targeted ADC Development
Association Between PTK7 Expression and Real-World Survival in Pretreated Patients With EGFR Wild-Type Lung Adenocarcinoma
"Understanding whether a therapeutic target remains present after prior treatment is particularly important in advanced lung cancer, where patients often receive multiple lines of therapy," said Aaron E. Lisberg, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The stability of PTK7 expression across standard treatments and clinically relevant molecular subgroups supports further investigation of PTK7-directed ADCs in patients with previously treated EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma." Poster Presentation Details: Title: Durable and Treatment-Agnostic PTK7 Expression in EGFR Wild-Type Lung Adenocarcinoma Supports Targeted ADC Development Title: Association Between PTK7 Expression and Real-World Survival in Pretreated Patients With EGFR Wild-Type Lung Adenocarcinoma HWK‑007 is PTK7-directed, next-generation ADC being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with non-squamous, EGFR wild-type NSCLC, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer (NCT07444814). These analyses were conducted as part of a previously announced collaboration between Whitehawk and Tempus AI. The posters will be accessible on the Presentations page of the Investors & News section of the Company's website at www.whitehawktx.com. About Whitehawk Therapeutics Whitehawk's underlying ADC platform leverages CPT113 as the core linker-payload technology, enhanced with its proprietary Carbon Bridge Cysteine Re-pairing (CBCR) bioconjugation process to support improved stability and therapeutic index. More information on the Company is available at www.whitehawktx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. Any references to the Company's website or other online resources are provided solely for convenience and are not incorporated by reference into this press release. Investors should rely only on the information contained in this press release and the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-Looking Statements Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, including under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in Whitehawk's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and elsewhere in Whitehawk's reports and other documents that Whitehawk has filed, or will file, with the SEC from time to time and available at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements in this press release are current only as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable law, Whitehawk undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Contact:
SOURCE Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc. | ||
Company Codes: NASDAQ:WHWK |
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