Amcasertib is an orally administered investigational agent designed to inhibit cancer stemness pathways, including Nanog, by targeting stemness kinases. Amcasertib is undergoing multiple Phase I and Phase II studies as monotherapy and combination therapy for treating a range of tumor types.

Motolimod (VTX-2337) is a small molecule, selective Toll-like receptor (TLR) 8 agonist has been used in trials studying phase II for the treatment of peritoneal carcinoma, Ovarian Cancer, Fallopian Tube Cancer, B-cell lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck among others. Motolimod is designed to mobilize a patient's immune system by directly activating myeloid dendritic cells, monocytes, and natural killer cells. This activation results in the production of a high level of mediators known to orchestrate the integration of both the innate and adaptive anti-tumor responses to a number of cancers.

Voxtalisib (SAR245409, XL765) is an orally available inhibitor of PI3K and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which are frequently activated in human tumors and play central roles in tumor cell proliferation. Exelixis discovered Voxtalisib internally and out-licensed the compound to Sanofi. Voxtalisib is being evaluated by Sanofi as a single agent and in multiple combination regimens in a variety of cancer indications. Clinical trials have included a single agent phase 2 trial in Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, combination phase 1b/2 trials with temozolomide in patients with glioblastoma, with letrozole in hormone receptor positive breast cancer, with bendamustine and/or rituximab in lymphoma or leukemia, and a phase 1 trial in combination with a MEK inhibitor. Voxtalisib is a highly selective, potent and reversible ATP-competitive inhibitor of pan-Class I PI3K (α, β, γ, and δ) and mTORC1/mTORC2. It is orally active, highly selective over 130 other protein kinases. In cellular assays, XL765 inhibits the formation of PIP3 in the membrane, and inhibits phosphorylation of AKT, p70S6K, and S6 phosphorylation in multiple tumor cell lines with different genetic alterations affecting the PI3K pathway.

Quisinostat is an orally bioavailable potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, specifically selected due to its sustained inhibition of HDAC1 in solid tumor tissues and prolonged period of half-elimination from tissues. Phase 2 clinical trials are ongoing in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Quisinostat is active in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory Sézary syndrome. The most common drug-related adverse events reported in this trial were: nausea, diarrhea, asthenia. Grade 3 adverse events were also reported: hypertension, lethargy and pruritus.

Defactinib is an oral, investigational drug candidate for the treatment of various solid tumors. Through dual inhibition of FAK and PYK2, defactinib targets key resistance mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment (TME), including limited local immune response, dense stroma, and resident cancer stem cells, that may limit the effectiveness of current and investigational treatments. Treatment-related adverse events are: unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, fatigue and headache.

ENMD-2076 is an orally-active, Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor. urora kinases are key regulators of mitosis (cell division), and are often over-expressed in human cancers. ENMD-2076 also targets the VEGFR, Flt-3 and FGFR3 kinases, which have been shown to play important roles in the pathology of several cancers. ENMD-2076 is tested in phase 2 clinical trials against ovarian cancer, breast cance, hepatocellular carcinoma and other malignancies.

D-Psicose (akaD-allulose) is a low energy monosaccharide found throughout nature in small quantities. t is a c-3 epimer of D-fructose and has 50% the sweetness of sucrose. Possible health benefits include improved insulin resistance, antioxidant enhancement and formation, and hypoglycemic controls. The use US-FDA lists psicose as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and has approved its use as a food additive in a wide variety of products. Psicose is not generally metabolized and does not raise blood sugar levels above baseline after consumption. In addition, to use as a low-calorie sweetener, psicose has also been formally investigated as a dietary supplement to control obesity and pre-diabetic insulin insensitivities. Furthermore, D-psicose has shown the ability to inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells in vitro.

Patupilone is a compound isolated from the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum. Similar to paclitaxel, Patupilone induces microtubule polymerization and stabilizes microtubules against depolymerization conditions. In addition to promoting tubulin polymerization and stabilization of microtubules, this agent is cytotoxic for cells overexpressing P-glycoprotein, a characteristic that distinguishes it from the taxanes. Epothilone B may cause complete cell-cycle arrest. Patupilone failed a phase III trial for ovarian cancer in 2010.

Triciribine is a purine analogue which inhibits DNA and protein synthesis, it is a synthetic tricyclic nucleoside which acts as a specific inhibitor of the Akt signaling pathway. It selectively inhibits the phosphorylation and activation of Akt1, -2 and -3 but does not inhibit Akt kinase activity nor known upstream Akt activators such as PI 3-Kinase and PDK1. It inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis preferentially in cells that express aberrant Akt1. In whole cells triciribine is phosphorylated by adenosine kinase which may be necessary for its activity. Triciribine is a cancer drug which was first synthesised in the 1970s and trialled clinically in the 1980s and 1990s without success. Following the discovery in the early 2000s that the drug would be effective against tumours with hyperactivated Akt, it is now again under consideration in a variety of cancers. As PTX-200, the drug is currently in two early stage clinical trials in breast cancer and ovarian cancer being conducted by the small molecule drug development company Prescient Therapeutics.

Tasisulam sodium, previously known as LY573636, were initially recognized by Eli Lilly for their significant antiproliferative activities in solid tumor cell lines, but their mechanism of action was unknown. Subsequent studies have revealed that LY573636 induces apoptosis via a mitochondrial-mediated mechanism that appears unique among other anti-cancer compounds. This drug was in the phase III clinical trial for the treatment of Metastatic Melanoma and in phase II for the treatment Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, but these studies were discontinued. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in rats and dogs indicate that tasisulam is metabolized primarily by the liver, and has low total plasma clearance with a relatively long half-life. In addition, there was preclinical evidence of a correlation between the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of tasisulam and toxicity.