The public-private consortium formed by the biopharmaceutical company Oniria Therapeutics, a member of CATALONIA.HEALTH, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) has obtained 2 million euros of funding from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain and the European Union, through the Public-Private Collaboration Program 2023. This funding will be used to develop and validate a biomarker that will allow to monitor the response to the new ONR-001 drug in patients with melanoma skin cancer.
ONR-001 is an innovative therapy by Oniria Therapeutics designed for aggressive solid and liquid tumours that do not respond to current treatments. The differential factor of ONR-001 is that it hyperactivates the TET2 enzyme to a lethal level for persistent tumour cells, acting as an Achilles heel that, in preclinical studies, has shown to significantly inhibit the progression of metastatic melanoma, colon cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia. The project will take 3 years, and it is expected to be validated in clinical trial in conjunction with the ONR-001 drug from 2027 onwards.
Esther Riambau, CEO and co-founder of Oniria Therapeutics, says that “we are incredibly grateful to the State Research Agency, part of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, for its support. Being admitted to the Public-Private Collaboration Programme 2023 is a crucial milestone in progressing in the clinical development of ONR-001 and represents an excellent validation of our innovative therapeutic approach”.
Héctor G. Palmer, scientific director and co-founder of Oniria Therapeutics, and head of the VHIO Stem Cells and Cancer Group, explains: “Preclinical results position ONR-001 as a promising therapy for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, with the potential to improve the life expectancy of patients with this aggressive cancer. The incorporation of this biomarker is key to advance in the development of a more effective precision oncology.”
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