Summary of Foghorn Therapeutics (FHTX) Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Foghorn Therapeutics (FHTX) - **Event**: Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference - **Date**: June 05, 2025 Industry Focus - **Industry**: Biotechnology, specifically targeting chromatin regulatory systems and cancer therapies Key Points and Arguments Chromatin Regulatory System and BAF Complex - Foghorn Therapeutics focuses on the chromatin regulatory system, which is crucial for gene expression, likening it to an architect (regulatory system) and blueprints (genes) [3][4] - Approximately **20% of all cancers** have mutations in the BAF complex, and about **50% of cancers** relate to chromatin biology [4] Clinical Pipeline - The company is currently in clinical stages with a **Phase 1 trial** for a selective SMARCA2 inhibitor (FHD-909) in collaboration with Eli Lilly [6] - The next **12 to 18 months** are expected to be significant for the company with potential data releases [6][7] Challenges in Drug Development - Developing drugs targeting the chromatin system is challenging due to the complexity of proteins and their paralogs, which often share high sequence similarity [10][11] - Issues include purification difficulties and the intrinsic disorder of some proteins, making it hard to find selective chemical matter [12] Patient Enrollment and Selection Criteria - The Phase 1 trial includes patients with various tumor types, specifically those with **SMARCA4 mutations** [15] - Approximately **10% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)** patients have SMARCA4 mutations, with **60-70%** of those being loss-of-function mutations [19][20] Efficacy Expectations - The company aims for a response rate of **10-20%** in refractory patients, which would be considered promising compared to existing treatments [25][26] - Patients with SMARCA4 mutations have a worse prognosis and lower response rates to existing therapies [20][21][22] Combination Therapy Potential - There is interest in exploring combination therapies with KRAS inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors, pending monotherapy efficacy results [39][40] - The timeline for potential combination studies is expected around **2026**, depending on the results of the ongoing trials [41] CBP and EP300 Programs - Foghorn is developing selective degraders for CBP and EP300, with potential applications in various cancers, including gastric and bladder cancers [44][48] - The CBP program is set to begin IND-enabling studies in the second half of 2025, with EP300 following closely behind [47][48] Upcoming Milestones - Key milestones include updates on the FHD-909 program, CBP, and EP300, with potential IND submissions in the next year [54][58] - The company anticipates significant data releases in the **October timeframe** related to ongoing studies [57] Additional Important Information - The company emphasizes the importance of a homogeneous patient population for clinical trials to avoid confusion in data interpretation [31] - Foghorn aims to avoid interim data releases to provide clearer insights into trial outcomes [32] - The therapeutic window for their compounds appears promising based on preclinical data, suggesting better tolerability compared to previous dual inhibitors [35][36] This summary encapsulates the critical insights from the conference call, highlighting the company's strategic focus, clinical developments, and future expectations in the biotechnology sector.