Restoring sensitivity to targeted therapies

In this new episode of the mini pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with Steven Powell, CEO of Ribonexus, a new company put together to develop and ultimately commercialise long-standing research programmes from Gustav Roussy, Institut Curie, the University of Strasbourg, and Pierre Fabre, to develop drugs that overcome tumour resistance to existing drug treatments.

Originally named Aglaia Therapeutics (after the plant family), Ribonexus was founded in 2021 with 4 million euros, receiving a further 2 million euros in April 2022. Now looking to identify at least one drug candidate – in the process of finalisation at the moment – its compounds have been tested en masse on in vitro and in vivo models. With a discovery phase of almost two years, but working with scientific knowledge at least a decade in development - since Powell’s arrival, the foundations of a pipeline of activity have been put in place, establishing two programmes in oncology and one in inflammation, such as acute colitis and chronic arthritis.

Essentially, however, Ribonexus is looking at overcoming chemoresistance and restoring sensitivity to targeted therapies, one method for which is disrupting protein synthesis downstream of typically targeted metabolic signalling pathways. Diving into the more comprehensible levels of discussion around eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F, they explore the subcomponent eIF4A and founding Gustav Roussy scientist, Professor Caroline Robert’s demonstration of its inhibitor effects in vivo.

Given the scientific heritage of the company, melanoma will remain a key target for Ribonexus, together with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), and possibly pancreatic cancer as well, overall seeking a significant prolongation of survival time for patients.

You can listen to episode 83a of the mini pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series - in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Podbean.