Allarity Therapeutics has unveiled a novel predictive tool designed to identify multiple myeloma patients most likely to respond to daratumumab therapy. The company presented these findings at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago, showcasing the potential of their proprietary Drug Response Predictor (DRP®) technology to enhance precision medicine approaches in oncology.
The daratumumab-specific DRP® was developed by analyzing gene expression patterns correlated with sensitivity to daratumumab-induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Researchers identified a signature of 53 genes—27 associated with treatment sensitivity and 26 with resistance—that form the foundation of this predictive tool.
Validation Through Clinical Data
Validation of the DRP® utilized single-cell RNA sequencing data and response information from bone marrow samples collected in the KYDAR trial, which studied multiple myeloma patients treated with daratumumab in combination with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone. The results demonstrated the predictor's ability to forecast treatment outcomes and survival, supporting its potential as a patient selection tool.
"This is yet another successful application of our DRP technology beyond our internal clinical program pipeline," said Thomas Jensen, CEO of Allarity Therapeutics. "We already offer an extensive portfolio of DRPs for research use, and the addition of a DRP for daratumumab—our first developed for an antibody therapy—further demonstrates the versatility and flexibility of our DRP platform."
Expanding Beyond Small-Molecule Drugs
This development represents a significant expansion of Allarity's technology platform, which until now has focused exclusively on small-molecule drugs. Daratumumab, marketed as Darzalex®, is an FDA and EMA-approved monoclonal antibody for multiple myeloma treatment.
Multiple myeloma affects approximately 35,000 new patients annually in the United States, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 55%. While daratumumab has improved outcomes for many patients, response rates vary significantly, highlighting the need for predictive biomarkers to guide treatment decisions.
Technical Approach and Methodology
The DRP® methodology builds on comparisons between sensitive and resistant human cancer cell lines, incorporating transcriptomic information combined with clinical tumor biology filters and prior clinical trial outcomes. The platform analyzes messenger RNA expression profiles from patient biopsies to generate a drug-specific score.
By screening patients before treatment and selecting only those with sufficiently high DRP scores, the therapeutic benefit rate may be significantly enhanced. This approach addresses a critical challenge in oncology: identifying which patients will respond to specific therapies before treatment begins.
Strategic Implications for Precision Oncology
Jensen emphasized the strategic importance of this development: "This new predictor expands the reach of our technology and positions us even better as a potential strategic partner for any third party seeking to target the right patients with existing cancer therapies."
Allarity has already developed DRPs for investigational or research use for dozens of anticancer drugs covering various cancer types. The company's lead program, stenoparib, is currently in Phase 2 development for advanced ovarian cancer and in combination studies for recurrent small cell lung cancer.
Stenoparib represents another aspect of Allarity's precision medicine approach. As an orally available dual-targeted inhibitor of PARP1/2 and tankyrase 1/2, it targets both DNA repair mechanisms and the WNT signaling pathway, which has been implicated in numerous cancers.
Future Directions
The poster presentation at AACR 2025 (Abstract Number: 725) marks an important step toward potential future collaborations aimed at bringing precision diagnostics to more cancer patients. The company plans to make the poster available on its website in the Scientific Publications section.
As precision medicine continues to evolve in oncology, predictive tools like the DRP® platform may play an increasingly important role in clinical decision-making, potentially improving outcomes while reducing unnecessary treatments for patients unlikely to benefit.
For Allarity Therapeutics, this development strengthens its position in the competitive landscape of companion diagnostics and personalized cancer treatment approaches, potentially opening doors to new partnerships and applications beyond its current pipeline.
