Piqur assets sold to Swiss Rockets affiliate

Swiss Rockets, a Basel-based incubator and accelerator of start-up companies in oncology and infectiology, acquired all assets and intellectual property of Piqur and transferred them to Torqur. Torqur is a platform for the discovery and efficient development of innovative anti-cancer therapies targeting the metabolic PI3K/mTOR intracellular signalling pathway.

Piqur Therapeutics AG, a biotech spin-off company of the University of Basel, was co-founded by Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic in 2011 to develop bimiralisib, a potent and balanced pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, discovered by Vladimir and his sister Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic during their Ph.D. studies at the University of Basel. The company was officially liquidated in 2022. Since 2018 Vladimir and Natasa have been working together to further develop bimiralisib and a pipeline of next-generation PI3K/mTOR inhibitors under Swiss Rockets’ expertise.

The PI3K/mTOR intracellular signalling pathway is often abnormally activated and has a significant role in cancer formation. The lead candidate bimiralisib is a balanced pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor formulated for oral and topical administration. Promising early clinical activity has been demonstrated in multiple phase 1/2 studies allowing further development towards proof-of-concept studies in various oncology and dermatology indications.

Over 10 years, Piqur received funding of CHF 100+ million. Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic explains: “With these assets in our hands, we founded Torqur, which is now in possession of a drug candidate in clinical phase II for different solid tumours with potential to be further developed for various additional indications such as lymphomas, skin cancers and brain tumours.” Torqur also has a pipeline of additional molecules which have already entered initial stages of development and is strengthening its pipeline by investing in the development of next-generation PI3K/mTOR inhibitors to form a robust portfolio of therapeutic areas in oncology and beyond.

(Press release / SK)
Picture: Swiss Rockets AG