Accent Therapeutics develops small-molecule precision cancer therapies focused on critical intracellular dependencies across multiple cancer types. Led by CEO Shakti Narayan, the company leverages expertise in RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs) and systematic mapping of the RMP space and adjacent high-value areas to guide drug discovery. Its two lead programs are a first-in-class DHX9 inhibitor and a potentially best-in-class KIF18A inhibitor. The DHX9 program targets indications with high unmet need including BRCA loss-of-function cancers (breast, ovarian), mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers (colorectal, endometrial, gastric) and additional undisclosed types. The KIF18A program could benefit patient populations across several indications including ovarian cancer and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The company plans to use the newly raised capital to advance both lead programs through early clinical development, including safety, pharmacokinetics and early efficacy studies. Accent Therapeutics develops oncology-focused small-molecule therapies that target RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs), an emerging field of post-transcriptional biology. Its lead programs are METTL3, an RNA methyltransferase implicated in AML, specific solid tumors and immuno-oncology, and ADAR1, an RNA editor with validation in subsets of solid tumors with elevated Type I interferon-stimulated gene signaling. The company applies enzyme-directed small-molecule approaches to RMPs to modulate RNA pathobiology. Since launching in 2018, Accent has advanced a broad pipeline of programs and aims to continue expanding in the RNA modification target space. Accent completed a $63 million Series B to advance its lead programs and broaden its pipeline. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance development of METTL3 and ADAR1 and to continue pipeline expansion. Accent Therapeutics focuses on developing oncology-directed small-molecule therapies in the emerging field of epitranscriptomics, targeting RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs). The company aims to create a discovery platform and a pipeline of therapeutic candidates against RMPs linked to specific cancers. Accent raised $40 million in Series A capital to establish that discovery platform and advance its pipeline. Its leadership includes experienced drug developers and founders Howard Y. Chang (Stanford), Chuan He (University of Chicago) and Robert A. Copeland, who bring expertise in epitranscriptomics and drug discovery. The team has published a peer-reviewed overview of RMPs as anticancer drug targets in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. Accent positions its programs to precisely target cancers that are uniquely dependent on particular RMPs.

Total raised

$178M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Jan 2024