Now raising a seed extension round to identify a lead drug candidate and advance its follow-on programmes, the company talked to us recently about its great progress, big plans and how the BioEscalator has played a part in its development.
Straight into the BioEscalator
Founded by Haematology Professors Adam Mead and Beth Psaila at the end of 2021, the company came straight to the BioEscalator to start its work on incurable blood cancers, specifically chronic blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Ed Ainscow rapidly joined as Chief Scientific Officer, bringing his translational experience from the commercial world via AstraZeneca, Novartis and Carrick Therapeutics, excited by Alethiomics’ new target discovery technology.
What made the BioEscalator the ideal location for the new enterprise? Ed cites the ability to start work quickly, the high specification of the labs, and access to the central research facilities both at the BioEscalator and in the surrounding University of Oxford academic buildings. The ability to tap into technical expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, core facilities and networks makes for a cost-effective and collaborative experience – dramatically enhancing efficiency for an early-stage start-up.
Other benefits of being at the BioEscalator include the camaraderie, the sharing of contacts and events such as the regular mini supplier shows which showcase a range of laboratory product vendors.
‘Amazing progress’ being made
Adam and Beth established Alethiomics to translate their complementary research discoveries into medicines, with an over-arching goal of improving outcomes for the patients with MPNs for whom they care in the clinic. The combination of their work on malignant stem cell populations (Adam) and fibrosis-driving megakaryocytes (Beth) has generated a target discovery platform that the company has called ‘Artemis’. The platform enables an unparalleled ability to discover new cancer cell-specific targets and then functionally validate them in large patient cohorts and a relevant human tissue environment.