DDR-inhibitors Exploit Cancer's "Achilles' Heel"

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - At the Emerging Growth Conference on June 23, 2021, Rakovina Therapeutics (TSXV: RKV) ("the Company") gave an insightful rundown of their company and their cancer fighting strategy.

Rakovina Therapeutics is a Vancouver-based biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new cancer therapies based on novel DNA-damage response inhibitor (DDRi) technologies. "Rakovina is dedicated to developing innovative treatments with the potential to improve patient outcomes across many different types of cancer," noted Jeffrey Bacha, Rakovina Therapeutics' executive chairman.

Our cells incur tens of thousands of DNA damaging events daily. The DNA damage response acts as a protector in that it detects and repairs these natural events. "As we've come to understand, certain types of cancer take advantage of a defect in one or more of these systems allowing a mutation to sneak through and become ingrained in the cell.  If this mutation is associated with cellular growth, a tumour will form, and the patient will eventually be diagnosed with cancer." stated Bacha.

Mr. Bacha further explained that because the DDR-associated mutation is found only in the cancer cells and not in normal cells, it provides an opportunity for targeted therapies. These therapies generate specific lethality to the tumour while sparing normal cells, thereby reducing side effects. 

Four FDA-approved DDR inhibitors, called PARP=inhibitors, have been launched in recent years. They have become integral in the treatment of several tumors including breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

As a leading cause of death worldwide, cancer was the cause of over 10 million deaths in 2020. This statistic only continues to persevere due to the emergence of resistance to available treatments, including PARP-inhibitors.

Rakovina Therapeutics has assembled a pipeline of DNA damage response technology assets. The company has acquired rights to these technologies to leverage prior research efforts and accelerate the development of these technologies. The hope is to obtain regulatory approval and benefit patients. During the presentation, it was declared that Rakovina Therapeutics' DNA Damage Response Inhibitor (DDRi) technology can potentially address treatment-resistant reoccurrence of several cancers.

The pipeline currently consists of three distinct molecular series. The kt-2000 series is a novel series of PARP inhibitors. The kt-2000 series is being screened for improved biodistribution to treat tumours which have metastasized to the central nervous system and against cancers that have become resistant to FDA-approved agents. The kt-3000 series is a dual-function DDR inhibitor that anticipates and targets emerging resistance pathways. Lastly, the kt-4000 series carries a targeted payload to cause DNA damage while potently inhibiting key DNA-damage response mechanisms in the tumour cell.

Each of these series' within the pipeline were previously under development by third parties and were brought under Rakovina Therapeutics' research umbrella to accelerate the advancement into human trials.

Rakovina Therapeutics' full presentation at the Emerging Growth Conference may be found here.

About Red Thread Ventures

Red Thread Ventures (RTV) is a global investment and advisory firm. We form long term partnerships with early-stage companies led by incredible management teams across a variety of industries. Besides capital, Red Thread adds value by leveraging an extensive CFO and capital markets executive network to aid ventures as they scale from idea to IPO and beyond. Red Thread Ventures currently manages two investment funds, a VCC (Venture Capital Corporation) fund focused on pre-seed/seed stage opportunities in British Columbia and a "Global Fund" for follow-on investments and opportunities across different geographies and asset classes. 

SOURCE Red Thread Ventures

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