OVERVIEW
Metastasis and recurrence are the primary causes of cancer mortality. Despite recent advances in molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology therapy, treating or preventing cancer recurrence and/or metastasis remains a hugely unmet clinical need. Most anti-cancer therapies are designed to shrink primary tumors but cannot prevent metastases. Invadopodia (a.k.a. “cellular feet”) are the driving force of invasion, intravasation, extravasation, and colonization of metastatic cancer cells in three-dimensional microenvironments in vivo. Antapodia Therapeutics pioneers the identification of a series of "Master Invadopodial Regulator (MIRs)", which are exclusively expressed by invasive cancer cells and thereby can serve as ideal and safe therapeutic targets. The company develops breakthrough and first-in-class invadopodia-targeted gene therapy and antibody therapeutics, which provides an excitingly new avenue to treating aggressive and metastatic cancers.
3gLNP siRNA/CRISPR PLATFORM
Many human solid tumors, such as liver, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers, are characterized by a highly dense fibrotic stroma termed “desmoplasia”, which impedes the penetration of therapeutics. Nanoparticle formulation is a clinically proven strategy to facilitate drug penetration in desmoplastic cancers, such as liposomal doxorubicin in breast cancer and liposomal irinotecan in pancreatic cancer. Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-formulated small interfering RNA (siRNA) and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing have recently emerged as clinically proven strategies for the precision targeting of disease driver genes. Antapodia Therapeutics partners with industrial leaders to combine the most advanced third-generation LNP (3gLNP) platform and a breakthrough "liver-blocking" technology to deliver a highly specific and invadopodia-inhibitory siRNAs to hepatic, non-hepatic and/or metastatic cancers, providing an exciting new avenue for treating aggressive human cancers.
SEE HOW ANTI-INVADOPODIA THERAPY WORKS IN REAL PATIENT MICROTUMORS
Shown are patient-derived organoids (PDOs) derived from a triple-negative breast cancer with protruding invadopodia (green) before (left) and after (right) treatment with Antapodia Therapeutics's first-in-class invadopodia-targeted 3rd-gen LNP-siRNA therapy AP-01. Invadopodia (MIR-01; green), cytosol (tubulin; red), nuclei (DAPI; blue).
Product
AP-01 3gLNP-siRNA
(HCC, TNBC, undisclosed)
Target
MIR-01
POM/POC studies > In vitro testing > In vivo testing > Toxicity > IND enabling
Product
AP-02 mAb
(NSCLC)
Target
MIR-02
PoM/PoC studies > In vitro testing > In vivo testing > Toxicity > IND enabling
Product
AP-03 mAb
(NSCLC)
Target
MIR-03
POM/POC studies > In vitro testing > In vivo testing > Toxicity > IND enabling
3gLNP: third-generation lipid nanoparticle; MIR: Master Invadopodial Regulator; siRNA: small interfering RNA; HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; TNBC: triple-negative breast cancer; NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer. mAb: monoclonal antibody.
