Newly launched spinout Z53 Therapeutics is working on cancer treatments that exploit a discovery of how to repair a protein that suppresses tumour formation.
BioMotiv, a drug development accelerator set up in association with Harrington Project, and Rutgers University have launched spinout Z53 Therapeutics.
Z53 Therapeutics commercialises research from Rutgers University and State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse. The spinout’s cancer drugs target tumours with a mutation of the p53 protein, which performs a central role in suppressing tumour formation.
The gene that encodes p53 is the most commonly mutated cancer gene. A large number of mutations result in a defect in the protein’s structure due to an impairment in its ability to bind zinc.
Darren Carpizo, surgical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, led a research team that found that small molecules could restore the normal structure and functioning of p53.
He said: “I am very excited to collaborate with BioMotiv to advance our research from our initial discoveries and mechanistic work to the identification of compounds that can be used in the clinic to target a wide spectrum of tumours with specific p53 mutations.
“Targeting mutant p53 with small molecule compounds has been one of the holy grails of drug development, so it is very exciting to be a forefront of this field of research.”
