Fresh funds to unleash the therapeutic potential of mTOR inhibition

Founded in 2021 by Stefan Imseng (CEO) and Dritan Liko (Head of Biology), Aukera Therapeutics emerged from the laboratories of Prof. Michael Hall – who discovered TOR – and Prof. Timm Maier with the goal of developing novel therapies for diseases related to the protein mTOR (mammalian Target of Rapamycin) which regulates cell growth and metabolism. mTOR acts in the cell by forming two complexes: mTORC1 or mTORC2. The improper activity of mTORC1 is implicated in a variety of pathological conditions such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and rare diseases. Current drugs to inhibit mTORC1 fall short regarding efficacy and safety. Thus, there is a large unmet medical need for novel mTORC1 therapeutics.

Deep biological insights on the mTOR pathway combined with state-of-the-art structural biology allowed the Aukera Therapeutics team to unravel the structure-function relationships of mTOR complexes, opening up novel avenues to drug them. The lead program selectively targets mTORC1 for the treatment of rare diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases where Aukera’s approach uniquely addresses unmet medical needs.

The startup team which combines decades of expertise in the field of mTOR biology and years of experience in preclinical research, medicinal chemistry, and drug development, will use the CHF 150,000 Venture Kick award to develop and patent new chemical entities and to reach the next value inflection point. “Since the first ‘kick’ in December 2021, Venture Kick’s support was instrumental for Aukera Therapeutics. The staggered financial support and the coaching allowed us to accelerate our project and refine our overall strategy,” said Stefan Imseng, CEO and co-founder of Aukera Therapeutics.

(Press release/RAN)
Photos: The Aukera Therapeutics team: Dritan Liko and Stefan Imseng