To date, only four drugs have been specifically developed and approved for pediatric cancer, thus forcing oncologists to use in children cancer treatments that were mainly developed for adult cancers.
Oncoheroes Biosciences, a biotech focused exclusively on advancing new therapies for children with cancer, receives another endorsement from a childhood cancer non-profit.
The Gregory Foundation for Cancer Research was born out of one infant's fight against infantile leukemia. Gregory was born May 11, 2016 and was diagnosed with infant Leukemia when he was just 10 months of age. He fought the disease for 11 months and passed away on March 21, 2018. Although Gregory received cutting edge immunotherapies and targeted therapies, including CAR-T 19 and allogeneic CAR-T, the disease was very aggressive, and ultimately succumbed to the cancer.
“We need more innovative treatments that reach the clinic quicker and for this, all efforts are needed. As a non-profit, we decided to not only fund academic research but also to support a company with a clear path, solid team and strong connections in pediatric oncology that is committed to quickly bringing new drugs to market specifically designed for children with cancer.” explained Sonsy Rajan, President and Founder of The Gregory Foundation for Cancer Research.
The support received by The Gregory Foundation for Cancer Research will helpaccelerate the clinical drugdevelopmentof volasertib, one of Oncoheroes’ assets, propelling it into a Phase Ib-II clinical trial for Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very aggressive form of pediatric cancer. Volasertib, was licensed by Oncoheroes from Boehringer Ingelheim and has the potential to be used for other pediatric cancer indications too.
Moreover, Oncoheroes is also excited about the opportunity to welcome Sonsy Rajan, President of The Gregory Foundation for Cancer Research, as one of the members of Oncoheroes’ Strategic Advisory Board.
“We want to thank The Gregory Foundation for Cancer Research for believing in our approach and joining our effort. There are already several non-profit cancer foundations that have joined Oncoheroes so far and we strongly encourage others to reach out to us to explore all the possibilities for doing this together, by funding a specific discovery project or a clinical development program of a potential new drug,” stated Ricardo Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Oncoheroes.
