Opna Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel oncology therapeutics, has raised $38 million. The company based at Biopôle will use the proceeds to advance its novel oncology discovery program and diversified pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs.
Opna Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel oncology therapeutics. The company’s broad portfolio targets multiple drivers of cancer, including a novel oncology discovery program focused on the fragile-X mental retardation protein (FMRP) and a diversified pipeline of validated oncology assets acquired from Plexxikon. In addition to its discovery-stage FMRP program, Opna’s lead clinical compound, OPN-2853, a bromo and extra terminal (BET) domain inhibitor, is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial with ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in myelofibrosis, a chronic bone marrow disorder. The company also expects to initiate a Phase 2 study with OPN-7486, a colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) receptor inhibitor, in 2023. OPN-2853 and OPN-7486 are part of the portfolio of small molecule oncology therapeutics Opna acquired from Plexxikon.
The Opna team has a proven track record of scientific expertise and commercial value creation, having advanced multiple FDA-approved drugs to market. Opna was co-founded by Gideon Bollag, PhD, who was appointed chief executive officer; Douglas Hanahan, PhD, distinguished scholar in the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and emeritus professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL); and Joseph Schlessinger, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine. The company is based at Biopôle in Epalinges in the Lausanne region.
The Series A financing round was led by Longitude Capital and Northpond Ventures, with additional participation from Menlo Ventures. “I’m very excited about our rich drug candidate portfolio, which is focused on targeting immune suppression and other hallmarks of cancer,” said Dr. Bollag. “As a new company, Opna offers that rare combination of a compelling novel drug target as well as a diverse pipeline of preclinical and clinical programs, some of which have shown combinatorial activity in our FMRP models.”
Oncology discovery program based on EPFL reasearch
Opna’s launch coincides with a Science publication from the Hanahan Laboratory EPFL about FMRP’s emerging role as an immuno-oncology target. In the paper, “Aberrant hyperexpression of the RNA binding protein FMRP in tumors mediates immune evasion,” Dr. Hanahan showed for the first time that knocking out or knocking down the FMRP gene in cancer cells enables the body to launch an immune response against tumors that are otherwise resistant to immune attack. Opna has an exclusive license for technology associated with FMRP from EPFL.
Previous research has shown that FMRP expression is elevated in certain cancers, including pancreatic, colon, breast, prostate and lung cancer. Data from the Hanahan Laboratory demonstrate that upregulated expression of FMRP in cancer cells suppresses the recruitment and capability of T cells to attack and kill tumors. Consequently, blocking FMRP expression resulted in T cell activation leading to anti-tumor immunity. The data also showed additional anti-tumor benefit when FMRP depletion was combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
(Press release / SK)
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