28 Mar Convert Pharmaceuticals awarded a prestigious EIC Accelerator grant
Convert Pharmaceuticals, a leader in developing innovative therapies for treatment-resistant cancers, is pleased to announce its recent achievement of being awarded the prestigious and highly competitive EIC Accelerator grant under Horizon Europe.
Convert Pharmaceuticals has earned a reputation for its groundbreaking work in developing Hypoxia-Activated Prodrugs (HAPs) to combat the challenges posed by tumour hypoxia. Tumour hypoxia, characterized by low oxygen levels in tumour tissues, a consequence of suboptimal tumour angiogenesis, is known to contribute to treatment resistance cancer, in particular to immunotherapy, often leading to unfavorable clinical outcomes. Convert Pharmaceuticals combines its extensive knowledge of the tumour hypoxia with expertise in drug and genetic and blood biomarker development to select HAPs that are both highly effective and well-tolerated.
Targeting the Achilles’ Heel of Cancer: Tumor Hypoxia
Many tumors develop areas with low oxygen levels (hypoxia) due to inadequate blood vessel growth. This hypoxia is a major hurdle in cancer treatment, as it can render tumors resistant to therapies like immunotherapy, leading to poor outcomes for patients.
CP-506: A Targeted Approach to Combat Resistance
Convert Pharmaceuticals leverages its deep understanding of tumor hypoxia to develop next-generation drugs like CP-506. This innovative therapy is specifically designed to become active only within the hypoxic regions of tumors. This targeted approach offers several potential benefits:
- Selectively Targets Tumor Cells: CP-506 minimizes damage to healthy tissues by focusing its activity on the tumor itself. Convert Pharmaceuticals combines its extensive knowledge of the tumour hypoxia with expertise in drug and genetic and blood biomarker development to select HAPs that are both highly effective and well-tolerated.
- Overcoming Resistance: By targeting hypoxic areas, CP-506 has the potential to overcome resistance to existing therapies like immunotherapy.
- Broader Applicability: The drug shows promise in various solid tumor types, including those with specific genetic mutations (HRD/FAD defects) and those previously responsive to alkylating agents.
The TUMAGNOSTIC Study: Pioneering a New Path
With this EIC Accelerator grant, Convert Pharmaceuticals aims to continue its research and development efforts to test CP-506 First-in-Human (FIH) clinical trial. The TUMAGNOSTIC study is a Phase 1-2a clinical trial designed to:
- Evaluate the safety and tolerability of CP-506, both as a standalone therapy and in combination with other cancer treatments.
- Determine the optimal dosage for further clinical development.
This study marks a significant step forward in the fight against treatment-resistant cancers. Convert Pharmaceuticals is committed to developing innovative therapies like CP-506 to bring new hope to patients battling these challenging cancers.
Stay tuned for further updates on the progress of the TUMAGNOSTIC study.