Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the pharma sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising chemotherapy startups.
Heat Map: 5 Top Chemotherapy Startups
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of pharma. For this research, we identified 226 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing innovative solutions for chemotherapy. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 226 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
DiaGyn – Neoadjuvant Therapy
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with tens of thousands of fatalities annually. However, there is no effective treatment in the late stages of the disease, with high rates of recurrence post-treatment. Neoadjuvant therapy is an upcoming solution for the treatment of late-stage, metastatic tumors. Startups are working on solutions that reduce the size of cancer before the main treatment, leading to a decrease in morbidity and mortality.
DiaGyn is an Israeli startup that develops clinical solutions for women’s health. The startup offers optimal targeted chemotherapy for breast and ovarian cancer. The startup’s drug candidate DIG790 is a nanoparticles-based treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The nanoparticles sense the high beta-galactosidase and low pH around EOC cells to specifically release the docetaxel drug around malignant cells.
Quench Medical – Inhaled Chemotherapy
Lung cancer is a major killer globally, leading to over a quarter of all cancer-related deaths. The standard chemotherapy for lung cancers includes intravenous chemotherapy drugs. However, this method has low efficacy because of blood volume dilution. Pharma and healthcare startups are working on oncology and chemotherapy solutions that deliver the drug directly to lung tumors.
The US-based startup Quench Medical develops a novel aerosol platform technology for inhaled chemotherapy. The startup’s solution delivers the drug directly to tumor tissues, leading to increased efficacy. The dry powder inhalation method requires lower doses compared to traditional chemotherapy drugs, leading to decreased systemic toxicity.
Scandion Oncology – Chemotherapy Resistance
For many patients, chemotherapy is effective initially but loses its efficacy over the course of treatment. This happens because cancer cells develop resistance against chemotherapeutic drugs in use. To tackle this problem, pharma startups are working on drugs that work for patients with chemotherapy-resistant cancers.
Scandion Oncology is a Danish startup that offers oncology drugs to target chemotherapy resistance mechanisms. The startup uses a screening platform for drug-resistant cancer cells to develop treatments that overcome chemotherapy resistance. SCO-101, the startup’s lead drug candidate, is an oral formulation with no toxicity in Phase I trials. The drug’s target indications include metastatic breast and colorectal cancer.
Starton Therapeutics – Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea & Vomiting (CINV)
CINV is a common side-effect among patients undergoing chemotherapy. The condition is so severe that many patients receiving doses of highly emetogenic agents postpone or refuse treatment. Startups are developing prophylactic and rescue treatments to prevent CINV. Some solutions include NK1 inhibitors, neuroleptic drugs, and non-pharmacological approaches.
The US-based startup Starton Therapeutics develops a transdermal technology for hematological malignancies. The startup’s transdermal delivery solutions transform approved medicines by improving efficacy or enabling new indications. STAR-OLZ, a 7-day transdermal patch, is in development for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. The patch contains olanzapine as a substitute for NK1 receptor antagonists in the CINV prophylaxis regimen.
Seekyo – Smart Chemotherapy Drugs
Most chemotherapy drugs act non-specifically on actively growing cells. While rapid growth is a hallmark of cancer cells, some healthy cells also grow rapidly. This leads to a range of side effects, including hair loss, muscle pain, mouth and throat sores, CINV, and blood disorders. Pharma and biotech startups are working on smart chemotherapy drugs that specifically target cancer cells.
Seekyo is a French startup that develops next-generation chemotherapies. The startup designs smart chemotherapy drugs that selectively act against the microenvironment of solid tumors. These drugs trigger cytotoxicity exclusively in malignant tissues and help in minimizing adverse effects. The startup’s pipeline includes a cytotoxic and an immunostimulant drug for solid tumors.
What About The Other 221 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 chemotherapy startups showcased above are promising examples out of 226 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
