CAMBRIDGE, MA, and SAN DIEGO, CA, September 7, 2023– Life Science Cares (LSC) is thrilled to announce a new $250,000 partnership with Kura Oncology to provide additional grant funding for educational initiatives in both San Diego and Greater Boston. The partnership will ensure funding for nonprofit organizations in LSC’s Access to Education Portfolio in both communities in 2023-2024 as well as support LSC’s networking platform One-to-One.
“We have already seen the significant impact in both Boston and San Diego through our partnership with the team at Life Science Cares, who have provided opportunities for our employees to give to their communities through organized events and initiatives,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. “From our entire team at Kura, we are proud to make this significant, additional donation, which strengthens our support to Life Science Cares with a targeted focus on education and mentorship for students from underserved backgrounds in our local communities.”
As a result of its recent successful financing event, Kura Oncology pledged the contribution as part of LSC’s Life Science Shares program. Life Science Shares is a mechanism for life science companies and executives to share in their success with their local communities by contributing a portion of any funding event to help reduce the devastating impact of poverty and inequity. Companies and individuals pledge a portion of earnings from a financing event to help address three fundamental gaps in our local communities: basic needs, education and opportunity.
“Having participated by providing personal care items to help low-income seniors, hosting students for a company tour and career discussion and leading a science demonstration at a community festival, the Kura team is one of our most active groups in San Diego,” said Leane Marchese, Executive Director of Life Science Cares San Diego. “We are so grateful that the company is expanding its involvement with Life Science Cares. The donation will provide significant impact to local organizations that focus on encouraging students, especially those that are under-represented in the life sciences, to pursue science.”
“This generous contribution from Kura exemplifies our belief that you can do well and do good,” said Yvonne Spicer, Executive Director of Life Science Cares Boston. “We look forward to continuing to harness the Kura team’s commitment to making a difference in our communities.”
Both LSC Boston and LSC San Diego will distribute additional grant funding to community-based organizations providing access to basic needs, access to education and access to opportunity later this year. Grantees receive general operating dollars as well as access to industry volunteers, expertise and resources. Since the organization’s inception in 2016, Life Science Cares has invested $11.2 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours to support nonprofit partners.
About Life Science Cares
Life Science Cares (LSC) activates the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry and partners with nonprofits to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities. Now operating in five life science hubs (Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York), LSC has invested $11.2 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours in community organizations providing access to basic needs, access to education or access to opportunity. Learn more at https://lifesciencecares.org/.
About Kura Oncology
Kura Oncology, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s pipeline consists of small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways. Ziftomenib is a once-daily, oral drug candidate targeting the menin-KMT2A protein-protein interaction for the treatment of genetically defined acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with high unmet need. Kura is currently enrolling patients in a Phase 2 registration-directed trial of ziftomenib in NPM1-mutant relapsed or refractory AML (KOMET-001). The Company is also conducting a series of studies to evaluate ziftomenib in combination with current standards of care, beginning with venetoclax/azacitidine and standard induction cytarabine/daunorubicin chemotherapy in NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory AML (KOMET-007). Tipifarnib, a potent and selective farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI), is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KURRENT-HN). Kura is also preparing to evaluate KO-2806, a next-generation FTI, in a Phase 1 dose-escalation trial as a monotherapy and in combination with other targeted therapies, beginning with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (FIT-001). For additional information, please visit Kura’s website at www.kuraoncology.com and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn.