AtG Therapeutics: €1.36M Eurostars Award for NIAC Project
AtG Therapeutics (Barcelona, Spain) is a pre-clinical stage drug development company specialized in the discovery of tumour vulnerabilities and the development of therapeutics and biomarkers to treat advanced cancer. In the March 2024 Eurostars round, AtG Therapeutics was awarded €1.36 million to develop their first-in-class intracellular inhibitor to combat renal cancer. We heard from Gabriela Jiménez, PhD., Co-Founder & COO, about their project and experience of collaborating with Catalyze towards the successful submission.
Pictured: Oriol Casanovas (Co-Founder & Interim CEO), Gabriela Jiménez (Co-Founder & COO) and Bart Huisken (Co-Founder & Business Strategy).
Overcoming drug resistance in renal cancer
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of ~13%. About 35% of patients present with metastatic RCC, treated mainly with anti-angiogenic regimens. However, 20% of patients are innately resistant to such treatment, and 70% of those who initially respond go on to acquire resistance, making these treatments ineffective. Despite current options, there is a high unmet need for effective drugs to overcome tumour resistance in late-stage RCC patients.
AtG Therapeutics’ Eurostars project, NIAC
AtG Therapeutics’ project, Novel Intracellular Approach to Combat Renal Cancer (NIAC), will expedite the development of a first-in-class intracellular Tumour Adaptation-1 (TA-1) inhibitor for treatment of drug-resistant advanced RCC. This TA-1 inhibitor has anti-tumour properties as TA-1 is crucial for both tumour growth and resistance to anti-angiogenic treatment, as identified by AtG’s Tumour Adaptation Target Identification platform (TACTIC).
Gabriela explains the aims of the NIAC project, “Given that RCC is one of the most lethal cancers, with current treatments often failing due to resistance, our main objectives are to develop and optimize the TA-1 inhibitor to ensure its efficacy and safety in pre-clinical models, provide a new therapeutic option for patients resistant to existing treatments, advance towards clinical trials, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes by improving survival rates and quality of life for RCC patients worldwide.”
Experience of collaborating with Catalyze
Gabriella comments on her experience of collaborating with the Catalyze team towards the successful Eurostars submission:
“Our experience with Catalyze was outstanding, and their support was instrumental in the success of our Eurostars application. They helped us identify and connect with top-tier partners, ensuring our consortium included the best possible collaborators. Catalyze guided us through the consortium-building process, leveraging each partner’s strengths to meet our project’s goals.
“From the initial stages to the final submission, they provided unwavering support, efficiently managing the timeline, meeting all requirements, and facilitating smooth coordination among consortium members. Their deep understanding of the scientific foundations of our project allowed them to offer insightful feedback, ensuring our proposal was scientifically robust and compelling.
“Catalyze’s holistic approach, combining scientific understanding with strategic guidance and project management, was pivotal in advancing our project. We deeply appreciate their support and look forward to having a successful project.”
Catalyze is proud to have supported AtG Therapeutics towards their Eurostars award.
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