Prokarium utilizes a proprietary strain of bacteria, ZH9, as a microbial immunotherapy platform to target and eliminate tumors while enhancing anti-tumor immunity. The company addresses the high recurrence rates and limited treatment options in bladder cancer, aiming to establish a new standard of care in a market that has seen little innovation for over 30 years.
Funding
$30M 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
Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has high recurrence rates, and current treatments like Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) face supply shortages, significant side effects, and limited long-term efficacy. Many patients ultimately require surgical bladder removal, which reduces their quality of life. Existing immunotherapies often fail to address underlying cancer-related immune dysfunction, leaving a significant portion of patients underserved.
Solution
Prokarium is developing microbial immunotherapies based on a proprietary strain of *Salmonella enterica* Typhi (ZH9) to target and eliminate tumors while enhancing anti-tumor immunity. The company's lead program, currently in clinical trials, is designed to achieve relapse-free outcomes and reduce treatment burden in NMIBC. Prokarium's Living Cures platform uses synthetic biology to deliver diverse therapeutic payloads, including RNA, within the tumor microenvironment. This approach aims to transform precision medicine with off-the-shelf programmable therapeutics, offering a new class of immunotherapies that are sustainable, accessible, and highly effective.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), urologists, and oncology researchers seeking innovative and effective treatment options with reduced recurrence rates and improved patient outcomes.
Features
- Proprietary *Salmonella* ZH9 strain with inherent tumor-targeting and oncolytic properties
- Engineered to overcome the suppressive tumor microenvironment
- Designed to target multiple pathways to elicit strong anti-tumor immunity
- Can deliver diverse therapeutic cargo, including RNA
- Potential to restore immune fitness, unlocking anti-tumor immunity in patients underserved by current immunotherapies
- GMP production using Wacker Biotech's LIBATEC® technology for Live Microbial Products (LMPs)
- Potential for combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors and cell therapies to enhance their therapeutic efficacy