Oncode Accelerator Supports UPyTher in Developing New Treatment for Hard-to-Treat Cancer
Oncode Accelerator and Dutch biotech start-up UPyTher have launched a collaborative Demonstrator Project to develop a new treatment approach for peritoneal metastases — a form of cancer that is particularly difficult to treat. The collaboration aims to make treatment safer, simpler, and more effective for patients who currently have very limited options.
From Unmet Clinical Need to Built-for-Purpose Therapy
Peritoneal metastases occur when cancer cells – typically from colorectal, ovarian, and gastric cancers – break off from the main tumor and spread into the abdomen. It is estimated that more than 1 million people are confronted each year worldwide, but treatment options remain limited and outcomes are often poor.
Peter-Paul Fransen, CTO of UPyTher, an Eindhoven based spin-off from the Technical University Eindhoven, explains: “Because peritoneal metastases are characterized by many small tumors in the abdominal cavity, it can be very hard to destroy all the spread-out cancer cells. Systemic therapies delivered through the bloodstream show limited efficacy against peritoneal metastases compared to metastases in other organs.” Local drug delivery directly to the abdominal cavity has long been proposed as a strategy to improve treatment efficacy for peritoneal metastases. Delivering drugs directly to the abdominal cavity should achieve higher local drug exposure while limiting what physicians call ‘systemic toxicity’ – side effects due to the systemic delivery of the drug. However, most existing cancer drugs weren’t designed for this approach, and are rapidly cleared from the peritoneal cavity. As a result, most patients have very few effective options.
By focusing in on this group of patients, UPyTher aims to develop new treatment strategies specifically suited to their needs. Their Demonstrator Project with Oncode Accelerator is the next step in changing the status quo for patients with peritoneal metastases.
"We want to give patients with peritoneal metastases a real chance — with therapies designed specifically for them, not adapted as an afterthought."
Peter-Paul Fransen, co-founder and CTO of UPyTher
Source: Oncode Accelerator
