Whitehawk Therapeutics (NASDAQ:WHWK), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), presented compelling real-world evidence at the 2026 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
The findings demonstrate that MUC16 is expressed with significantly higher frequency and stability in gynecologic malignancies compared to other common ADC targets.
The real-world analyses, conducted across large-scale patient cohorts, revealed that MUC16 is highly expressed in both ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Notably, the study found that MUC16 expression levels often exceeded those of other prominent ADC targets by 2-fold to more than 100-fold.
This stable and high-density expression is a critical factor for the efficacy of ADCs, which rely on specific protein markers to deliver toxic payloads directly to tumor cells.
The data provides a strong validation for the company’s lead candidate, HWK-016, a next-generation MUC16-targeted ADC currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial.
The study is enrolling patients with advanced or recurrent ovarian and endometrial cancers who have exhausted standard-of-care options.
Gynecologic cancers remain a significant area of unmet medical need, with ovarian cancer often diagnosed at advanced stages and endometrial cancer rates rising globally.
By targeting the high-density MUC16 protein, Whitehawk aims to achieve superior tumor penetration and cell-killing potential while minimizing off-target toxicity.
Whitehawk Therapeutics confirmed that the Phase 1 trial remains on track, with initial clinical data expected in the first half of 2027.
The company is also exploring the potential for HWK-016 to be used in combination with immunotherapy and other targeted agents.