We develop novel immunotherapies that can sensitize patients to overcome resistance to pioneer treatments.
Current Status
ARDAN PHARMA is a biotech startup that has received Venture Builder's seed capital for the initial development of it's technology. Our business model is subjected to the drug development process. We still look forward to next rounds of investment before we can bench to market.
Market
Our initial potential market are patients that develop resistance to anti-PD1 and anti CTLA-4 therapies, either de novo or acquired during treatment. This can vary among indications, but considering only patients which has immunotherapy treatment on first line, such us metastasic melanoma where ORR is about 30 % , that leave us 70% of the patients candidate to our technology. This can be translate into other types of solid tumors. Because of our the mechanism of action of our therapeutic approach, can be use as a single agent therapy also, and extended to hemato-oncology patients
Problem or Opportunity
18M of people were diagnosed with cancer and 9M cancer-deaths were registered in 2018. Main reason for this is not because lack of treatments, since targeted and immunotherapies have demonstrated outstanding results in the past decade. The problem rises when patients develop resistance and these treatments stop working; which unfortunately happens between 30-70% of cases depending on the indication. At this point, no effective alternative remains for the patients, and this scenario is what ARDAN PHARMA believes it can change.
Solution (product or service)
Our scietific team has discovered a novel checkpoint of the innate immune system that can impair inflammation while promoting immunosupressive T cell diferentiation: TORID. The molecular pathway inhibited by TORID is upregulated in melanoma patients responding to anti-PD1 immunotherapy, whereas it is downregulated in progressor, suggesting TORID as a novel resistance factor. Similar associations have been validated in other types of cancer. Therefore, we created a portfolio of chemical compounds to inhibit TORID and confirmed a therapeutic benefit in several in vivo models such us: melanoma, Tcell lymphoma, colon and lung cancer, as well as in hemato-ocology. We are developing a first-in-class inflammasome activating therapy that has the potential to transform progressors into responders patients.
Competitors
Our competitors are pharma companies that target inflammasome therapies: Aduro Biotech, IFM therapeutics, Nothern biologics are the most challenging competitors we face. Their assets gather around the development of agonists of NLRP3/STING to enhace immunotherapy performance. Our therapeutic approach has an outstanding major advantage to theirs because of its dual mechanism of action: not only at a regulator level but also to effector mechanisms.
Advantages or differentiators
By targeting TORID we are modulating the immune response to promote inflammasome complex activation (NLRP3, NLRP6, NLRP7, AIM2) and diminish immunossupresive T cell differentiation, which alltogether enhaces antitumural responses. But at the same time, as TORID is overexpressed in malignant cells, its' inhibition can lead to pyroptosis and tumoral death cell.
Finance
Revenue Streams: Immunotherapy sales revenue reached 84B in 2018, and is estimated to raise up to 242B by 2026. Cost Structure: We need 2.5M USD to finish Preclincal studies. We are looking forward to 5M USD to engage phase I clinical trials.
Money will be spent on
Preclinical drug development. Chemist control and manufacture, GLPtoxicity studies in rat and dog.
