Senhwa Biosciences, Inc. announced positive preliminary efficacy and safety results from a phase 1 clinical trial for their lead drug candidate, Silmitasertib (CX-4945), in patients with advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma. These findings were presented within an e-poster on March 27, 2022 at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) held in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 25, 2022 to March 29, 2022. The poster features preliminary findings on disease control from a phase 1 study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of Silmitasertib in patients with advanced BCC.

BCC is the most common type of skin cancer. Most basal cell carcinomas can be surgically removed; however, for unresectable tumors there are two approved targeted drugs and both are characterized as smoothened inhibitors (SMOi). SMOi target the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway and have been approved for the treatment of patients with locally advanced BCC (laBCC) or metastatic BCC (mBCC).

Unfortunately, drug resistance to SMOi is common but targeting the signaling cascade downstream of SMOi could avoid this issue. Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) affects the terminal component of the Hh signaling pathway by promoting GLI-1 stability and GLI-1's interaction with target genes. Given the interplay between CK2 and GLI-1 and the importance of Hh signaling activation, Senhwa's Silmitasertib (CX-4945), a potent CK2 inhibitor, may provide benefits for BCC patients with SMOi resistant cancers.