Novel Innate Immune Pathway to Build
FIRST-IN-CLASS PAN-CANCER THERAPEUTICS.
ABOUT ONCHILLES PHARMA
Onchilles Pharma is a global drug discovery and development company pioneering the use of the ELANE pathway to create the next-generation of pan-cancer therapeutics. These potential first-in-class medicines could revolutionize cancer treatment by selectively killing tumors independent of their genetic background, anatomical origin, or immunotype. The company is advancing a pipeline of biologic drug candidates to treat head & neck, skin, breast, and lung cancers and plans to initiate first-in-human clinical trials in 2025.
Novel Innate Mechanism of Action: The ELANE Pathway
Onchilles’ scientific founder, Dr. Lev Becker, discovered that human neutrophils release catalytically active neutrophil elastase (ELANE), which selectively and potently kills cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. This novel innate mechanism of action, known as the ELANE pathway, was published in the journal Cell in 2021. Targeting the ELANE pathway enables the eradication of cancer cells regardless of their genetic makeup, anatomical origin, or immune status. Building on these findings, Onchilles has generated an extensive preclinical dataset showing that leveraging the ELANE pathway eliminates cancer cells at the primary tumor site in animal models and enhances T cell-driven anti-tumor immunity against distant metastases.
NEUTROPHIL ELASTASE SELECTIVELY KILLS CANCER CELLS AND ATTENUATES TUMORIGENESIS CELL, 2021
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First-in-Class Pan-Cancer Therapeutics
Onchilles Pharma has established a leadership position in targeting the ELANE pathway, translating this approach into a proprietary set of molecules: NEU-001 (N17350) for intratumoral delivery and NEU-002 for intravenous delivery. Both molecules have shown potent monotherapy efficacy by inducing immunogenic cancer cell death, leading to durable responses in preclinical mouse models across various tumor types. Onchilles plans to initiate first-in-human clinical trials for its first drug candidate in 2025, focusing on head & neck cancer, skin cancers, lung cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer.
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