Carna Biosciences has signed a Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA) with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for a Phase 1b investigator-initiated trial of its drug candidate monzosertib (AS-0141), the company said on October 5, 2026. The contract follows a non-binding memorandum of understanding announced on December 18, 2025. Carna said the two sides have now agreed contract terms.
What the contract covers
The study is planned for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (r/r AML). It is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of monzosertib on its own and in a three-drug combination with azacitidine and venetoclax.
Abhishek Maiti of MD Anderson's Department of Leukemia will lead the trial as principal investigator. Under the CTA, preparations toward patient entry are to proceed. That is preparation, not enrolment: the notice does not say any patient has been dosed.
Carna's obligations
Carna will supply the monzosertib the trial needs and, under the contract, bear trial-related costs. The notice gives no cost figure. The company said the agreement has no effect on its consolidated earnings forecast for the year ending December 2026.
The clinical rationale and a disclosure limit
Carna said the azacitidine and venetoclax pairing is widely used as standard care for AML patients who are elderly or ineligible for intensive induction therapy, but that better outcomes are still needed. It added that prognosis remains poor for patients whose disease relapses or proves refractory after existing treatment, including chemotherapy. In preclinical studies, the company said, monzosertib showed strong antitumor activity combined with DNMT inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors. No clinical efficacy data is reported.
Because the study is led by MD Anderson, progress management and disclosure follow the centre's policy and are subject to contractual restrictions. Carna said that, as a rule, it does not plan to announce updates to the ClinicalTrials.gov registration individually.