Tilikum is developing a novel class of PARP-1 inhibitors that target solid tumors resistant to existing therapies by arresting DNA replication and repair mechanisms. This approach expands treatment options for patients with ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers who lack genetic defects in DNA-repair machinery or have developed resistance to conventional PARP inhibitors.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Many solid tumors develop resistance to existing cancer therapies, including PARP inhibitors, limiting treatment options for patients with cancers like ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer. This resistance can arise from a lack of genetic defects in DNA-repair machinery or through other mechanisms that bypass the effects of conventional PARP inhibitors.
Solution
Tilikum is developing a novel class of small-molecule PARP1 inhibitors designed to overcome treatment resistance in solid tumors. These inhibitors employ a "PARP-locking" approach, leveraging new insights into the structure and function of PARP1 to arrest DNA replication and repair in treatment-resistant tumors, even in the absence of pre-existing DNA-repair defects. Tilikum's compounds are designed to be active in tumors that do not have genetic defects in DNA-repair machinery, expanding the population of patients eligible for PARP inhibitor therapy. The company's orally-administered or ADC-delivered small molecule drugs have the potential to transform cancer care for treatment-resistant disease.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with solid tumors, such as ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers, who have developed resistance to existing therapies or who lack genetic defects in DNA-repair machinery, as well as the oncologists treating these patients.
Features
- Small-molecule PARP1 inhibitors designed to overcome resistance mechanisms
- "PARP-locking" mechanism of action arrests DNA replication and repair
- Active in tumors without pre-existing DNA-repair defects
- Orally-administered and ADC-delivery formulations