PolyProx Therapeutics is developing polyproxin® molecules that target and remove disease‑causing proteins using the cell’s natural degradation machineries, with an initial focus on oncology. The company aims to address aberrant, previously hard‑to‑drug proteins that have proven difficult to target with small molecules or monoclonal antibodies. It is a spin‑out from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, based on over a decade of research and intellectual property from Professor Laura Itzhaki’s laboratory. Serial Cambridge biotech entrepreneurs Kevin Moulder (Chief Operating Officer) and Andrew Sandham (Executive Chairman) lead the team, and the company recently moved to new laboratories in Cambridge. The new funding will be used to deliver in vivo proof‑of‑concept data for polyproxin® molecule leads against two oncology drug targets. That in vivo data is intended to form the basis for a Series A financing in 2021. PolyProx Therapeutics is a University of Cambridge spinout based on over a decade of research and IP from Professor Laura Itzhaki’s laboratory, focused on discovering novel biopharmaceuticals to treat cancer. The company is developing a new class of drugs called Polyproxin™ molecules that selectively target tumour cells and trigger the cell’s natural protein degradation machinery to arrest tumour growth. Polyproxin™ molecules use protein scaffolds to link a targeting entity and a degradation trigger, designed for access to tumour cells and recyclable activity. The approach aims to address hard-to-drug targets and could be relevant for major cancers such as lung, colorectal and pancreatic. Leadership includes Founder and CSO Professor Laura Itzhaki, COO Kevin Moulder and Executive Chairman Andrew Sandham. PolyProx is based at the Babraham Research Campus, is currently recruiting, and raised £3.4m in seed capital to support validation of the technology across a range of tumour targets over the next two years.

Total raised

$6M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Mar 2020