Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBRX) presented preclinical data on its drug candidate Annamycin at the AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer, held in San Diego through September 28, 2026.
The presentation, titled "Turning cold pancreatic tumors hot: Antitumor activity of Annamycin is partially mediated by CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity," was delivered by Angela T. Alistar, MD, of Morristown Medical Center. The abstract was published in the September 15, 2026 issue of Cancer Research.
The data showed that Annamycin's antitumor activity in pancreatic cancer is partially dependent on CD8+ T cells, a type of immune cell that kills tumor cells. The findings suggest the drug may expose pancreatic tumors to immune attack beyond its direct anticancer effects. Pancreatic cancers typically feature a cold immune microenvironment that limits the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors as single-agent treatments.
Annamycin is described as a re-engineered anthracycline designed to increase efficacy and avoid the multidrug resistance and cardiotoxicity associated with currently prescribed agents.
The company noted that the Annamycin data were generated in preclinical models, which may not predict results in humans. Annamycin is not currently in clinical development for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Moleculin's primary clinical program is the MIRACLE trial evaluating AnnAraC in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.
