Vivace Therapeutics is developing small-molecule inhibitors targeting the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway, which is implicated in various cancers, including mesothelioma and breast cancer. By inhibiting the YAP-TEAD transcription complex, Vivace aims to provide effective treatments for tumors driven by this pathway, addressing the need for novel cancer therapeutics.
Funding
$35M 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
The Hippo-YAP signaling pathway is a key regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis, and its dysregulation is implicated in the development and progression of various cancers, including mesothelioma, meningioma, schwannoma, lung, gastric, colon, cervical, ovarian, and breast cancers. Current cancer therapies often fail to address tumors driven by this pathway, and YAP hyperactivity is linked to resistance to targeted therapies, cancer relapse, and worse patient outcomes.
Solution
Vivace Therapeutics is developing small-molecule inhibitors that target the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway to treat cancers driven by YAP-TEAD transcription complex activity. These inhibitors are designed to selectively block the interaction of YAP and TEAD, thereby suppressing tumor growth and overcoming resistance to existing therapies. By directly targeting the YAP-TEAD complex, Vivace's therapeutics aim to restore normal cell growth and death processes in cancer cells. These inhibitors can be used alone or in combination with other anti-cancer agents to improve treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with advanced solid tumors, particularly those with mesothelioma, meningioma, schwannoma, and other cancers driven by the Hippo-YAP pathway, as well as oncologists and researchers seeking novel therapeutic strategies.
Features
- Novel small-molecule inhibitors of the YAP-TEAD transcription complex
- Selective inhibition of TEAD auto-palmitoylation
- Potential for use in combination therapies with MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors
- Demonstrated synergistic activity with osimertinib in preclinical EGFR mutant tumor models
- Clinical-stage asset (VT3989) in Phase 1 clinical trials for advanced solid tumors
- Potential application in non-oncology indications such as fibrotic disease
- Predictive biomarker strategy using Merlin-YAP dual-label immunohistochemistry