Novocure plans a 25-patient pancreatic cancer trial combining Tumor Treating Fields, chemotherapy and Verastem’s investigational KRAS G12D inhibitor VS-7375.
Written By: Creola Gonsalves, MS Biotech
Reviewed By: Pharmacally Editorial Team
Novocure has entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Verastem Oncology to evaluate Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy alongside chemotherapy and VS-7375, Verastem’s investigational oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) inhibitor, in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The planned study will primarily assess safety and tolerability, with preliminary efficacy evaluated through exploratory endpoints. Patient enrollment is expected to begin in 2027.
The collaboration brings together a physical cancer treatment modality, established chemotherapy agents, and an investigational targeted therapy. The study will explore whether combining these approaches can improve treatment responses in a disease setting where treatment options remain limited.
Planned Study Will Assess a Three-Part Treatment Approach
Novocure plans to initiate a clinical trial involving approximately 25 patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Participants will receive TTFields therapy concomitantly with gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and VS-7375.
Gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel are chemotherapy agents used in pancreatic cancer treatment. VS-7375 is an investigational oral inhibitor designed to target KRAS G12D in both its ON and OFF states. KRAS G12D is a cancer-associated mutation that drives signaling involved in tumor growth.
The planned study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of administering this combination. Preliminary efficacy will be assessed through exploratory endpoints, although the announcement does not specify the individual efficacy measures, study comparator, or randomization strategy.
Consequently, the study should be viewed as an early clinical evaluation of the combination rather than evidence that adding TTFields and VS-7375 improves outcomes over existing treatment.
Preclinical Findings Provide the Rationale for the Combination
Novocure’s rationale for the collaboration draws on preclinical findings suggesting that TTFields therapy, when combined with a KRAS inhibitor, could provide an additional treatment approach for pancreatic cancer.
TTFields uses electric fields that exert physical forces on cancer cells and can affect multiple biological processes involved in cancer cell survival and division. According to Novocure, the therapy has demonstrated enhanced effects across solid tumor types when combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or targeted therapies in preclinical models.
VS-7375 introduces a complementary targeted approach by inhibiting mutant KRAS G12D signaling. Combining the inhibitor with TTFields and chemotherapy is intended to investigate whether these distinct treatment approaches can produce deeper or more durable responses.
However, the supporting observations described in the announcement are preclinical. They do not establish that the three-part combination will improve response rates, prolong survival, or offer an advantage over chemotherapy alone. The planned clinical study will begin to address the safety of this combination in patients, while any efficacy findings will require interpretation in the context of the study design and exploratory endpoints.
Treatment Context in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains a major treatment challenge, particularly when the disease is diagnosed at a stage when surgical removal is not feasible. According to the source announcement, treatment for locally advanced pancreatic cancer generally involves chemotherapy, with or without radiation, and surgery when possible.
Novocure has already advanced TTFields therapy in pancreatic cancer. The new collaboration represents a further investigation of the modality in combination with an investigational targeted agent and chemotherapy. The existing use of TTFields in pancreatic cancer should not be confused with the proposed three-part regimen, whose safety and efficacy have yet to be established clinically.
The planned study will therefore explore whether adding VS-7375 to TTFields and chemotherapy is feasible and whether preliminary efficacy signals warrant further investigation.
Novocure to Fund Trial Operations; Verastem to Supply VS-7375
Under the agreement, Novocure will manage and fund the clinical trial operations, while Verastem Oncology will supply VS-7375 for the study. Enrollment is expected to begin in 2027.
Uri Weinberg, MD, PhD, Novocure’s chief medical and innovation officer, said the collaboration builds on preclinical findings supporting the combination of TTFields with a KRAS inhibitor. Michael Kauffman, MD, PhD, president of development at Verastem Oncology, said the study will explore whether combining TTFields, chemotherapy, and VS-7375 can drive deeper and more durable responses.
Verastem’s description of VS-7375 as a potentially best-in-class inhibitor reflects the company’s stated positioning of its investigational drug, rather than an established clinical comparison.
Clinical Interpretation
The collaboration tests a combination strategy that brings together TTFields, chemotherapy, and dual-state KRAS G12D inhibition in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Its immediate clinical objective is to characterize safety and tolerability in approximately 25 patients, with preliminary efficacy assessed exploratorily. Whether the approach produces clinically meaningful and durable responses remains unknown and will depend on the results of the planned study and subsequent clinical evaluation.
Reference
Novocure to Evaluate Tumor Treating Fields Therapy with VS-7375, an Oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) Inhibitor, to Treat Pancreatic Cancer Through Clinical Trial Collaboration and Supply Agreement, Novocure, 28 October 2026
About the Writer
Creola Gonsalves (Linkedin) is an M.S. Biotechnology postgraduate with a strong interest in clinical research, evidence interpretation, and healthcare writing, with a focus on translating life-science knowledge into meaningful real-world insights.
She is trained in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), clinical research principles, and critical interpretation of randomized clinical trials, with certifications from NIH and Stanford University.
Her research background in biotechnological applications and microbial research strengthens her ability to understand scientific evidence and develop clear, accurate, and research-driven healthcare content.