Onconaut Therapeutics Secures $2.5M NIH Grant to Advance CHD1L Inhibitors for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
核心洞察
The University of Colorado Anschutz (搜索)'s Dr. Daniel LaBarbera received a $2.5 million NIH Fast-Track grant to develop CHD1L inhibitors (搜索) targeting metastatic colorectal cancer (搜索).
The precision oncology drugs suppress tumor progression and metastatic spread while inducing PARthanatos, a unique form of cell death.
Preclinical data demonstrates pronounced tumor regression and increased survival in colorectal cancer (搜索) models, positioning the therapy for IND-enabling studies.
The University of Colorado Anschutz (搜索) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' Professor Daniel LaBarbera has secured a $2.5 million Fast-Track Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institute of Health's National Cancer Institute to advance a breakthrough therapy targeting metastatic colorectal cancer (搜索). The funding will support development of precision oncology drugs that block CHD1L (搜索), a protein driving tumor progression and metastasis across multiple cancer types.
The grant was awarded to LaBarbera's Onconaut Therapeutics (搜索), a privately held company developed through the University of Colorado Anschutz (搜索) Innovations program. Onconaut operates in conjunction with the University's Center for Drug Discovery, where LaBarbera serves as director, integrating high-throughput discovery sciences, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, and in vivo pharmacology to accelerate therapeutic translation.
Novel CHD1L Inhibitor Mechanism
Onconaut's lead CHD1L (搜索) inhibitor represents a new class of precision oncology drugs that suppress tumor progression and metastatic spread through multiple mechanisms. The compounds induce PARthanatos, a unique form of cell death, while enhancing the effectiveness of current treatments. This multi-modal approach offers new therapeutic options for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (搜索) and other difficult-to-treat malignancies.
"This grant will enable us to advance our most promising CHD1L inhibitors (搜索) toward Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies and preparation of an IND application with the Food and Drug Administration," said LaBarbera. "We are on the cusp of drug development that precedes first-in-human clinical trials, marking a key milestone in translating new cancer therapies to patients."
Addressing Critical Medical Need
Colorectal cancer (搜索) represents a significant clinical challenge as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer death when men and women are combined. Approximately 150,000 Americans receive colorectal cancer diagnoses annually, with more than 50,000 deaths occurring each year. One in 24 people will develop colorectal cancer during their lifetime, with late-stage disease presenting particularly limited treatment options and poor patient outcomes.
Combination Therapy Strategy
LaBarbera and his team are developing a complementary therapeutic approach that combines CHD1L inhibitors (搜索) with existing drug therapies, including standard-of-care chemotherapy such as FOLFIRI (搜索) and other targeted cancer drugs. This combination strategy aims to enhance treatment effectiveness in advanced colorectal cancer (搜索), with plans to expand development to additional cancers including breast and lung during clinical advancement.
Promising Preclinical Results
The research team has generated encouraging preclinical data demonstrating pronounced tumor regression and increased survival in colorectal cancer (搜索) models. "The data we have generated to date is highly encouraging, showing pronounced tumor regression and increased survival in colorectal cancer models," said LaBarbera. "This grant positions us to move closer to delivering new therapies that improve survival and quality of life for patients with metastatic disease."
The CHD1L (搜索) inhibitor was originally discovered and developed through The Center for Drug Discovery, exemplifying the center's mission to advance academic discoveries toward clinical impact. The comprehensive research hub serves as a university-wide platform accelerating the translation of basic research into new therapeutics through integrated discovery sciences and drug development capabilities.