- Transformative surfaceome discovery technology enables
a comprehensive map of the cancer cell surface to identify a
multitude of novel druggable targets.
- Pipeline programs in Small Cell Lung Cancer
and Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer.
- Experienced team of individuals with expertise in
surface proteomics and oncology from academia, biotech and
pharma, led by CEO Roman
Thomas.
- Leading biopharma executives Dieter Weinand (previously
CEO at Bayer Pharmaceuticals) and Carsten
Reinhardt (CDO at Immatics), join the DISCO Board of
Directors as Chairman and Independent Director,
respectively.
COLOGNE,
Germany and ZURICH,
Jan. 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DISCO Pharmaceuticals ("DISCO"),
a specialist biotech unlocking the surfaceome of cancer cells
at scale to identify new targets and develop first in class drugs,
emerges from stealth today. The Company, operating out of
Cologne, Germany and Schlieren,
Switzerland, successfully raised
seed financing of EUR 20 million and is backed by a world
leading investor syndicate, including Sofinnova Partners, which led
the round, Panakes Partners, M Ventures and AbbVie Ventures.
The development of new treatment modalities in oncology is
growing at an ever-increasing rate, but the lack of cancer-specific
cell surface targets limits the application to a few clinically
effective targets. The development of new biologics, such as
antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bi-specific antibodies, is on
the rise; however, there are currently less than 30 molecular
targets which form the basis of all antibody-based therapies.
Therefore, there is a significant need to identify novel
cancer-specific targets and target pairs.
DISCO's pioneering surfaceome mapping platform transforms the
current approach of target discovery for large molecule R&D.
The technology identifies proteins and protein communities across
the entire cancer cell surface in a scalable manner, thus
addressing the need for target candidates for both mono- and
bi-specific antibodies. These insights enable the development of a
multitude of cancer-specific therapies, with the potential to boost
efficacy and reduce side effects for patients. DISCO has started to
create an internal pipeline of novel anti-cancer therapeutics
leveraging this knowledge.
DISCO has completed the first-ever map of the surfaceome of a
cancer type, Small Cell Lung Cancer, (SCLC) and is developing
proprietary antibody-based treatments for SCLC, which has
historically been difficult to treat. DISCO is currently working on
Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer, which is associated with a
high unmet medical need and for which only a few treatment options
are available. The Company's pipeline includes further undisclosed
programs.
DISCO was spun out of ETH Zürich, with founders
from ETH, the University of Cologne and Stanford
University, and was founded in May
2022 by Prof. Roman Thomas,
Dr. Johannes Heuckmann, Prof. Bernd
Wollscheid and Prof. Julien
Sage. The founders have a deep understanding of surface
proteomics, cancer biology and drug discovery, and a track record
of value creation. Dr. Stefan Ries,
who has previously held leadership positions at Roche and was a
venture partner at Versant Ventures, joins DISCO as Chief
Scientific Officer. The DISCO team is complemented by a world
leading group of scientific advisors.
In addition to the experienced Board of Directors from the
investor syndicate, Dieter Weinand
will join as Chairman of the Board. Dieter
Weinand was previously the CEO of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and
has held leadership positions at Pfizer, BMS and Sanofi. He
currently serves on the Board of Coya Therapeutics (NASDAQ: COYA),
as Chairman of the Boards of Replimune (NASDAQ: REPL), Umoja, and
Inspirna, and as Executive Chairman of Mnemo
Therapeutics. Furthermore, Carsten
Reinhardt, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Development Officer at
Immatics (NASDAQ: IMTX), joins the DISCO Board as an Independent
Director. Previously, he was EVP and Chief Medical Officer at
Micromet Inc, International Medical Leader at Hoffmann-La Roche,
and has been serving as a director on supervisory boards to a
variety of biopharma companies.
Roman Thomas, Founder and
Chief Executive Officer, at DISCO Pharmaceuticals, said:
"Today, we are launching DISCO Pharmaceuticals and its
breakthrough technology after a decade of research by our
exceptional team. We believe that our surfaceome discovery
technology is truly disruptive and will transform oncology
treatment options and ultimately improve outcomes for patients. The
surfaceome mapping in Small Cell Lung Cancer – that we completed
within months – has validated our technology platform and approach,
demonstrating its potential, and we look forward to applying it to
different indications."
Maina Bhaman, Partner at
Sofinnova Partners, added: "DISCO is uniquely positioned to
transform cancer care. The team, which brings together individuals
with diverse backgrounds from academia, biotech and pharma,
combined with its unique surfaceome discovery technology, enables
comprehensive target information which neither standard proteomics,
nor genome or transcriptome sequencing can provide."
Dieter Weinand, newly
appointed Chairman of the DISCO Board of Directors, commented:
"Expanding the possible target space in oncology has been a
bottleneck in the industry for decades. I am thrilled to be working
with the truly exceptional people at DISCO as I firmly believe that
they will be able to overcome this hurdle by using their disruptive
surfaceome discovery engine.
About DISCO Pharmaceuticals
DISCO Pharma, operating out of Cologne, Germany and Schlieren, Switzerland, employs a disruptive scalable
technology to map the surfaceome of cancer cells and develop
first-in-class cancer drugs. With the advent of new cell-surface,
target-directed therapeutic modalities (including ADCs and
bi-specific antibodies), it is critical to ramp up the discovery of
meaningful targets. DISCO does so by comprehensively identifying
druggable targets, as well as protein communities (i.e., different
proteins that form nanoscale organizations on a cell),
across the entire cancer cell surface at scale, thus uncovering
crucial new information that neither genome nor transcriptome
sequencing can provide. By knowing which proteins are truly present
on the cell surface, and how they are associated within protein
communities, DISCO can design highly specific binders, boosting
expected efficacy and reducing side effects.
DISCO has a highly experienced team with a strong track record
in cancer drug discovery and entrepreneurial value creation, as
well as a deep understanding of surface proteomics born out of
ETH in Zurich and
developed further within the Company. DISCO is backed by world
leading life sciences investors including Sofinnova Partners,
Panakes Partners, M Ventures and AbbVie Ventures.
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SOURCE DISCO Pharmaceuticals