Step Pharma Receives €2.5 Million EIC Grant to Advance CTPS1 Inhibitor Dencatistat for Gynecological Cancers
核心洞察
Step Pharma (搜索) secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (搜索), with potential for up to €10 million in additional equity investment, to advance its first-in-class CTPS1 (搜索) inhibitor dencatistat.
The funding will support phase 1b expansion cohorts targeting CTPS2 (搜索) null ovarian and endometrial cancers, where CTPS2 loss occurs in 15-20% of patients, expected to begin enrollment in 2026.
Dencatistat exploits synthetic lethality by selectively inhibiting CTPS1 (搜索) in cancer cells that have lost CTPS2 (搜索) function, potentially delivering efficacy without toxicity to normal tissues.
Step Pharma (搜索) announced it has been awarded a blended finance grant from the European Innovation Council (搜索) (EIC) under the EIC Accelerator programme, securing €2.5 million in funding with the potential for up to €10 million in equity investment. The funding will accelerate development of the company's first-in-class, highly selective, orally bioavailable CTPS1 (搜索) inhibitor, dencatistat, specifically for CTPS2 (搜索) null ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Targeting Synthetic Lethality in Cancer
The therapeutic approach centers on exploiting a fundamental dependency in cancer cell metabolism. All cancers require a steady supply of CTP for proliferation, produced by two isoenzymes: CTPS1 (搜索) and CTPS2 (搜索). When cancer cells lose CTPS2 function, they become synthetically lethal dependent on CTPS1. Step Pharma (搜索)'s selective CTPS1 inhibition strategy kills CTPS2 null cancer cells while sparing normal tissues, potentially delivering efficacy without toxicity.
In ovarian and endometrial cancers, the prevalence of CTPS2 (搜索) loss ranges from 15-20%, creating a defined patient population that could benefit from this targeted approach. Dencatistat is currently undergoing evaluation in a phase 1a dose escalation study in patients with solid tumours, with safety expansion cohorts in CTPS2 null cancers planned to follow.
Clinical Development Timeline
The phase 1b expansion cohorts for CTPS2 (搜索) null ovarian and endometrial cancers are expected to begin enrollment in 2026. Step Pharma (搜索) also plans an additional cohort targeting CTPS2 null lung cancer (搜索). The EIC funding will specifically support the expansion of dencatistat's phase 1b trial into gynecological cancer cohorts and preparation for phase 2 studies, including drug manufacture and pivotal toxicology studies.
Andrew Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Step Pharma (搜索), stated: "Being selected for an EIC Accelerator award is an important validation of our precision oncology approach targeting the synthetic lethal dependency on CTPS1 (搜索) in CTPS2 (搜索) null solid tumours. Building on strong momentum across our three clinical programmes, this award will enable us to advance dencatistat into expansion cohorts in ovarian and endometrial cancer (搜索), gynaecological indications where initiatives such as the EIC Accelerator can play a key role in improving outcomes."
Broader Clinical Portfolio
Beyond gynecological cancers, dencatistat is being evaluated across multiple indications. The drug is currently in a phase 1/2 clinical trial for adult patients with relapsed/refractory T or B cell lymphoma (搜索) and received US FDA (搜索) orphan drug designation for T cell lymphoma (搜索) treatment in May 2025. Step Pharma (搜索) has also initiated a third clinical programme evaluating dencatistat in essential thrombocythaemia (搜索) (ET).
Recent Corporate Milestones
The EIC Accelerator award follows significant corporate progress for Step Pharma (搜索), including completion of a €38 million Series C financing in October 2025 led by V-Bio Ventures (搜索) and the appointment of Dr Karen Smith as Chief Medical Officer. The company, founded in 2014 and based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, positions itself as the global leader in CTPS1 (搜索) inhibition for targeted cancer treatment.
The EIC Accelerator programme supports breakthrough innovations with potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones through combined grant and equity investments. Beyond funding, Step Pharma (搜索) will gain access to EIC Business Acceleration Services, providing strategic guidance, networking opportunities, and investor connections.