Journal Article DKFZ-2026-01086

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Darizmetinib (HRX215): A Promising 1st-in-Class Liver Regenerating Drug in Phase 1b/2a Clinical Development, Targeting the Stress Signaling Protein Kinase MKK4.

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2026
ACS Washington, DC

Journal of medicinal chemistry nn, nn () [10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6c00689]
 GO

Abstract: Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4), a MAP2 kinase that activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, is a key kinase of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling network. Inhibition of MKK4 represents a novel therapeutic approach by leveraging a rerouting mechanism within the signaling network, predominantly via MKK7 and JNK1, to modulate the regenerative capacity of hepatocytes. In this study, we describe the discovery of darizmetinib (HRX215), a first-in-class MKK4 inhibitor currently in clinical development. Darizmetinib was derived from a known BRaf inhibitor, and through extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, we successfully engineered potency and selectivity for MKK4 while eliminating the original BRaf on-target activity. Preclinical proof-of-concept studies, along with in vivo evaluations of different lead candidates, identified darizmetinib, demonstrating dose-dependent efficacy across various disease-relevant pharmacological models.

Classification:

Note: #DKTKZFB26# / epub

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Tübingen (TU01)
Research Program(s):
  1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Chemical Reactions ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 5 ; Index Chemicus ; JCR ; NationallizenzNationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-05-08, last modified 2026-05-09



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