WntResearch is developing a completely new type of cancer drug that inhibits the ability of tumour cells to spread in the body and form metastases.
Mestastasis-inhibiting drugs are badly needed.
One in every three people in Sweden will contract cancer during their lifetimes. Although modern cancer therapies have become efficient at fighting tumours and saving lives, effective treatment against metastasis – the spread of tumour cells to other organs in the body – is still not available. Metastasis in solid tumours is regarded as the cause of approximately 90 percent of all cancer-related deaths.
WntResearch is a biotech company in oncology that develops new therapies intended to prevent the metastatic process. The company’s research is focused on studying the endogenous protein WNT5A, which in scientific studies has shown to affect tumor cells’ ability to move and spread in the body. WntResearch drug candidate Foxy-5 is a peptide that mimics the function of WNT5A and is intended to reduce the mobility and spread of cancer cells thus preventing metastases from occurring. Although current cancer treatment has become more effective, there are no effective ways to prevent the onset of metastases that cause about 90 percent of all cancer-related deaths. Foxy-5 has a unique mechanism of action and has shown a good safety profile with few side effects in two Phase I clinical trials. The safety and efficacy of Foxy-5 are now being evaluated in the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial NeoFox, in patients with stage II-III colon cancer.