Modulating cell dormancy to overcome cancer persistence

MISSION

A shift in cancer treatment methodology
makes a world of difference

Research for a cancer-free life

Over time, clinical research developments have led to notably improved treatments and considerably better outcomes for cancer patients. However, many patients develop resistance to these therapies. After initial success in primary treatment, cancer often returns more aggressively and metastatically even after several years, in most cases then remaining incurable and leading to death.
Recent research discoveries reveal that cancer cells can evade drug therapies by entering a latent, dormant state that enables them to persist in the patient‘s body indefinitely. However, cancer cell dormancy opens up further treatment avenues that have given rise to an emerging new era of therapeutic innovation.

At ONIRIA Therapeutics, we translate hard-won knowledge on cancer cell resistance to advanced treatments for patients. We have found that latent cells exist from the very beginning in primary tumors, later along undetectable residual disease phases and finally in recurrent tumors. These dormant cells are the long-term core of cancer persistence. But we have also discovered that tumor cell dormancy comes at a cost. While it enables the tumor to escape drug treatments, dormancy also exposes the cancer cells to unforeseen vulnerabilities. ONIRIA‘s novel strategy modulates the dormant state of cancer cells to exploit these vulnerabilities and overcome disease persistence, thereby prolonging patients‘ lives and ultimately cure them.

OUR FLAGSHIP PRODUCT

ONR-001 is a first-in-class molecule that allosterically activates TET2, a master epigenetic enzyme, causing tumor cells to enter a dormant state and even die.

This unique method can be successfully used at all stages of the disease, from naïve primary tumors to recurrent resistant metastatic cancer – thus “making a world of difference“.

LEADERSHIP