Oncolyze

The ProblemCancer is the second leading cause of death globally, killing 10 million cancer patients yearly worldwide. The estimated total annual economic impact of cancer is more than $1 trillion globally. There are many types of cancer, but one of the deadliest is acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Patients with this blood cancer have only a 1 in 4 chance of living for 5 years after diagnosis. As a result, there remains a significant need for more efficacious treatments.Our SolutionOncolyze has designed a novel anti-cancer drug (OM-301) that targets a cell surface protein (HDM2) which is unique to cancer cells. OM-301 has two components. The first, a targeting segment, finds HDM2 residing on the external surface of nearly all cancer cells but not normal cells. Once OM-301 finds the HDM2 and anchors, the second segment pokes holes in the surface and kills the cancer cell almost instantly.Because OM-301 acts on the outside of a cancer cell, we think that its efficacy will be independent of cancer genetics; that is, it will work in cancer patients regardless of mutation type. This is important because AML can be caused by a variety of mutations in a number of proteins in blood cells. Some recently approved drugs only work for a subset of patients, whereas we believe that OM-301 could help most if not all AML patients, especially those with hard-to-treat mutations.AML is our immediate focus. We have preclinical in vivo evidence supporting the potential use of OM-301 in a number of other types of cancers, including Multiple Myeloma (another blood cancer) and solid tumors such as colon, pancreatic, and sarcoma. We know that our target exists on the cell surface of over 25 types of cancer. If approved by the FDA, as far as we are aware of, OM-301 will be the only therapeutic that treats cancer by targeting this cell-surface HDM2 protein. 

Lead drug candidate (OM-301) has generated positive results in treating Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), the company’s first target demographic (the AML patient population has a significant unmet need, with a 5-year survival rate of only 25%) Successfully completed in vitro and in vivo (mice) experiments, which support the notion that OM-301 breaks down cancer cells and significantly increases survival rates (from 93 days to 156.5 days); funding from this round goes towards Phase 1/2 of FDA trials OM-301 has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia IP includes three pending patent families covering selective lysis of cancer cells with OM-301, stable formulations of OM-301 and other peptides, and HDM2 antibodies for use in the treatment of cancer Management team brings over 100 years of experience across healthcare and leading institutions such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Medimmune; advisors include medical experts such as the Chief of Leukemia at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Chief of Molecular Hematology at MD Anderson, and the Chief of Leukemia at City of Hope

Rosemary Mazanet, MD, PhD Advisor, DIRECTOR James L. Foght, PhD Advisor, DIRECTOR Daniel Von Hoff, MD, FACP Advisor, SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR Matthew Pincus, MD, PhD Advisor, SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR Michael Andreeff, MD, PhD Advisor, SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR AND ADVISOR Martin Tallman, MD Advisor, SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR William Haseltine, PhD Advisor, BUSINESS ADVISOR Guido Marcucci, MD Advisor, SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR AND ADVISOR