Develops dencatistat (STP938), a first-in-class, orally bioavailable CTPS1 inhibitor targeting blood cancers and solid tumors, including ovarian cancer. This therapy aims to improve treatment outcomes by selectively inhibiting CTPS1 in patients with cancers that have lost CTPS2 expression, addressing the lack of effective options and stagnant survival rates in conditions like peripheral T cell lymphoma.
Funding
$41.3M 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.
SLFounders
Product
Problem
Many blood cancers and solid tumors have limited effective treatment options, leading to stagnant survival rates, particularly in conditions like peripheral T cell lymphoma. Current treatments often result in relapse or become ineffective over time, creating a need for novel therapeutic approaches.
Solution
Step Pharma is developing dencatistat (STP938), a first-in-class, orally bioavailable CTPS1 inhibitor designed for targeted cancer therapy. Dencatistat selectively inhibits CTPS1 in cancer cells that have lost CTPS2 expression, exploiting a synthetic lethal vulnerability. This approach aims to improve treatment outcomes in blood cancers like T cell and B cell lymphomas, as well as solid tumors such as ovarian cancer, by disrupting pyrimidine synthesis in cancer cells. Dencatistat is currently in clinical trials, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other treatments, with potential for accelerated approval in certain blood cancers. Clinical trials are underway for solid tumors, focusing initially on ovarian cancer and utilizing a biomarker assay to identify patients most likely to benefit from CTPS1 inhibition.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with relapsed/refractory T cell lymphomas, B cell lymphomas, solid tumors (initially ovarian cancer), and essential thrombocythemia, as well as the oncologists and hematologists treating these conditions.
Features
- First-in-class, highly selective, orally bioavailable CTPS1 inhibitor
- Targets cancer cells with loss of CTPS2 expression
- Demonstrates anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects against a range of T cell cancer cell lines
- Potential for accelerated approval from a single arm Phase II study in blood cancers
- Synergistic cancer-killing potential in combination with drugs targeting the DNA damage response pathway
- Biomarker assay to select patients for solid tumor trials to maximize therapeutic potential