Debiopharm and TransCode Therapeutics Collaborate to Develop Targeted Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Cancer

TransCode Therapeutics is a RNA oncology company based in the United States committed to more effectively treating cancer using RNA therapeutics. Debiopharm, a privately-owned Swiss-based, global biopharmaceutical company, aims to establish tomorrow’s standard-of-care to cure cancer and infectious diseases.

The collaboration will explore combining TransCode’s proprietary TTX delivery platform with Debiopharm’s expertise in targeted drug delivery to co-develop targeted nucleic acid therapeutics for cancer.

TransCode’s TTX platform will serve as a backbone for development of antigen-selective nucleic acid delivery vehicles for targeted cancer therapeutics. TransCode has developed and tested the TTX platform for the delivery of various nucleic acid therapeutics to cancer cells, including small interfering RNAs, antisense oligonucleotides, immunostimulatory oligonucleotides, mRNA, and genome-editing ribonucleoprotein complexes (CRISPR). TransCode’s lead therapeutic candidate, TTX-MC138, designed to use antisense technology to treat metastatic cancer, is being evaluated in an early-stage clinical trial. As part of the collaboration, TransCode will combine its TTX delivery platform with Debiopharm’s proprietary technologies to generate constructs providing targeted mRNA delivery to cancer cells. Under the agreement, these constructs will be tested both in cancer cells and in tumour-bearing animals.

Specializing in the manufacturing and development of oncology and antibiotic therapies, Debiopharm entered this research collaboration to test the development of new targeted nucleic acid delivery modalities. Debiopharm’s ongoing quest towards developing highly innovative drug delivery methods is based on the recognition that novel targeted drugs hold the potential to revolutionize cancer research and treatment by improving precision, efficacy, safety, and the overall therapeutic outcome for cancer patients. The company hopes that future advancements could usher in a new era of more effective and personalized cancer therapies.

Frédéric Lévy, Debiopharm’s Chief Scientific Officer, commented, “We believe that TransCode’s TTX platform has the potential to bring about significant advances in drug delivery for cancer because of its versatility in terms of the payloads it can be used to deliver, including not only a wide array of nucleic acids but also peptides and proteins.”

Zdravka Medarova, TransCode’s Chief Scientific Officer, added, “Debiopharm is a global player in the field of cancer therapeutics, known for the development of standard of care drugs for the treatment of various types of cancer. For TransCode, being able to collaborate with Debiopharm on an innovative project with the potential impact of targeted nucleic acid-based cancer therapeutics, represents a pivotal point for our company.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Source: Press Release