Whitehawk Therapeutics Presents Real-World Analysis Confirming PTK7 as a Broadly Expressed, Clinically Relevant Target Across Solid Tumors at AACR-NCI-EORTC

Core Insights - Whitehawk Therapeutics presented data on Protein Tyrosine Kinase 7 (PTK7) as a promising target for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at the 2025 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference, highlighting its expression in approximately 70% of solid tumors [1][6][3] Group 1: PTK7 Characteristics - PTK7 is the third most highly expressed tumor marker among ADC targets, following HER2 and HER3, with stable expression across various cancer types and stages [6][1] - The analysis involved over 157,000 tumor samples, confirming PTK7's broad expression in solid tumors, particularly in endometrial (7.4), ovarian (7.2), head and neck (7.1), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (6.9), and breast (6.7) tumors [6][3] Group 2: Development of HWK-007 - Whitehawk is advancing HWK-007, a PTK7-targeting ADC that utilizes a stable yet cleavable linker to deliver a Topoisomerase I (TOPO1) inhibitor payload, with plans to submit an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA by year-end [5][6] - The company aims to initiate clinical evaluations of HWK-007 in NSCLC, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, targeting nearly 750,000 patients in the US with PTK7-expressing cancers [7][5] Group 3: Collaboration and Future Outlook - The analysis was conducted in collaboration with Tempus AI, utilizing real-world data to characterize PTK7 expression for the first time [1][7] - The findings underscore the potential of PTK7 as a clinically meaningful target for ADCs, reinforcing Whitehawk's strategic focus on developing next-generation ADCs for a wide range of patients [5][6]