Study of CX-4945 in Combination With Gemcitabine and Cisplatin for Frontline Treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma

Protein kinase CK2 is a constitutively active serine/threonine kinase with a long history as a pro-survival, anti-apoptotic kinase. Given the wide spread overexpression of CK2 in multiple cancers and its role in multiple non-oncogenic processes required to sustain the cancer phenotype, a selective inhibitor of CK2 is an attractive targeted approach to treating cancer. CX-4945 is a tetracyclic, small molecule carboxylate acid salt that exhibits potent and highly selective inhibition of CK2. Protein kinase CK2 is also known to play an important role in the DNA damage repair mechanisms of cancer cells, and this study of CX-4945 in combination with gemcitabine plus cisplatin will determine if inhibition of CK2, in conjunction with the use of chemotherapy drugs, will result in improved clinical outcomes for patients with non-resectable cholangiocarcinoma.