Bold Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing metallotherapeutics, specifically BOLD-100, which targets advanced cancers by causing DNA damage and cell cycle arrest while inhibiting the unfolded protein response. This approach addresses the limitations of existing cancer therapies, particularly in heavily mutated or resistant cancer cell lines, aiming to improve patient outcomes in gastrointestinal cancers.
Funding
$33M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Many advanced cancers develop resistance to existing therapies, particularly in heavily mutated cancer cell lines. Current treatments often fail to address the unfolded protein response (UPR), a key survival mechanism in these resistant cells, leading to poor patient outcomes, especially in gastrointestinal cancers.
Solution
Bold Therapeutics is developing metallotherapeutics, including their lead candidate BOLD-100, to target advanced cancers by inducing DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. BOLD-100 inhibits the unfolded protein response (UPR) through selective GRP78 inhibition, a mechanism that is difficult for cancer cells to evade. This approach aims to overcome resistance mechanisms and enhance the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies, potentially improving patient outcomes in various gastrointestinal cancers. Clinical data suggests BOLD-100 has therapeutic potential in colorectal, bile duct, and gastric cancers.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal, gastric, and bile duct cancers, who have developed resistance to existing therapies.
Features
- Induces DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in cancer cells
- Selectively inhibits GRP78, a key regulator of the unfolded protein response (UPR)
- Demonstrates efficacy against heavily mutated and resistant cancer cell lines
- Designed to enhance the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies
- Clinical trials underway for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), gastric cancer (GC), and bile duct cancer (BTC)
- Has received Orphan Drug Designations (ODDs) in gastric and pancreatic cancers