Phase 2 OK-1 (SHetA2) Grp78/Hsc70/mortalin inhibitor plus weekly paclitaxel in recurrent endometrial cancer

This single-arm Phase 2 study with a safety lead-in tests whether adding OK-1 to weekly paclitaxel can reduce tumor burden in patients with measurable advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer after prior platinum-based therapy. OK-1 (also known as SHetA2) is an oral small molecule that inhibits the stress-chaperone network proteins Grp78, Hsc70, and mortalin, disrupting tumor cell survival pathways and promoting apoptosis; paclitaxel is an IV microtubule inhibitor that blocks mitosis. The trial is sponsored by the University of Oklahoma/OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, reflecting an academic-origin asset developed locally rather than licensed from a large pharma partner. For this post-platinum population, current care is typically sequential systemic therapy—often pembrolizumab + lenvatinib for mismatch-repair–proficient disease, single-agent immunotherapy for MSI-H/dMMR tumors, and cytotoxic options (including weekly paclitaxel) when targeted/IO approaches are not appropriate—so this evaluates a potential chemo-sensitizing oral add-on intended to deepen or prolong responses.