Onchilles Pharma is developing first-in-class biologic therapies that target the ELANE pathway, utilizing catalytically active neutrophil elastase to selectively kill cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. This approach aims to treat various cancers, including head & neck, skin, breast, and lung cancers, by inducing immunogenic cell death independent of genetic background or tumor origin.
Funding
$10.6M 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 cancer treatments struggle to selectively target and eliminate cancer cells without harming healthy tissue, often leading to significant side effects and limited efficacy across diverse cancer types. Current therapies may also be ineffective against tumors with specific genetic profiles or those that have developed resistance mechanisms.
Solution
Onchilles Pharma is developing first-in-class biologic therapies that leverage the ELANE pathway to selectively kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. Their approach utilizes catalytically active neutrophil elastase to induce immunogenic cell death, a process that triggers an immune response against the tumor. This novel mechanism of action eradicates cancer cells regardless of their genetic makeup, anatomical origin, or immune status. Onchilles Pharma's molecules, including NEU-001 (for intratumoral delivery) and NEU-002 (for intravenous delivery), have demonstrated potent monotherapy efficacy in preclinical models, leading to durable responses across various tumor types.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with head & neck cancer, skin cancers, lung cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer, as well as oncologists and medical professionals seeking more effective and targeted cancer therapies.
Features
- NEU-001: Biologic drug candidate for intratumoral delivery, designed for direct injection into the tumor site.
- NEU-002: Biologic drug candidate for intravenous delivery, enabling systemic treatment of metastatic or inaccessible tumors.
- Exploits the ELANE pathway, a novel innate immune mechanism of action involving catalytically active neutrophil elastase.
- Induces immunogenic cell death, stimulating the patient's immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells.
- Demonstrated preclinical efficacy across a range of tumor types, including head & neck, skin, breast, and lung cancers.