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Published on November 18, 2024
–Company founded by 4BIO Capital and Professor Steve Pollard as a spinout from the University of Edinburgh to commercialise its breakthrough Synthetic Super-Enhancer platform, Odysseus, to enable unprecedented precision in targeting aggressive cancers
–IQ Capital, Cancer Research Horizons, National Brain Tumor Society, AIN Ventures and Old College Capital now also investors in Trogenix
–Dr Ken Macnamara, a veteran gene therapy executive who held leadership roles at Bayer/AskBio and Synpromics, appointed as Chief Executive Officer
–Tay Salimullah, former executive team member at Novartis Gene Therapies, joins the Board as Trogenix advances towards clinical development
Trogenix Ltd today emerged from stealth mode to unveil its groundbreaking therapeutic platform for treating aggressive cancers. Built from inception by 4BIO Capital, which specialises in creating breakthrough therapeutic companies, Trogenix spun out from the University of Edinburgh in 2023 and raised a seed financing round earlier this year. Leading life science and deep tech investors IQ Capital, Cancer Research Horizons, the US National Brain Tumor Society’s Brain Tumor Investment Fund, AIN Ventures and the University of Edinburgh’s venture investment fund, Old College Capital, have also invested in Trogenix.
“Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with current therapies often falling short, especially for aggressive solid tumours,” said Dr Ken Macnamara, Chief Executive Officer of Trogenix. “We founded Trogenix to transform cancer treatment from chronic disease management to potentially curative one-time treatments. Our Synthetic Super-Enhancer technology represents a significant breakthrough in precision cancer therapy, offering unprecedented selectivity in targeting cancer cells and activating the body’s own immune system against tumours, all while leaving healthy cells untouched.”
The company’s lead programme targets glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer, where only 25% of patients survive beyond one year. Preclinical studies have demonstrated curative responses with no toxicity and evidence of persistent anti-tumour immunity, with Phase 1/2 clinical trials planned for 2025.
“Trogenix exemplifies our approach to advancing revolutionary therapeutic platforms from concept to reality,” said Dmitry (Dima) Kuzmin, Managing Partner at 4BIO Capital and Founding Chairman of Trogenix. “By combining our deep expertise in advanced therapies with the company’s breakthrough science, we’ve helped shape a platform with the potential to fundamentally change cancer treatment. The convergence of synthetic biology, machine learning, gene therapy, and precision targeting in Trogenix’s technology represents exactly the kind of innovation needed to deliver next-generation curative treatments. Being able to discern a cancer cell in situ from a healthy cell without relying on a surface antigen is truly revolutionary.”
The company’s proprietary Synthetic Super-Enhancers (SSEs) are engineered DNA elements that act as docking stations for transcription factors uniquely expressed in aggressive cancer cells. This enables highly selective and potent gene control with multiple layers of safety, including direct tumour injection for localised delivery and self-limiting control mechanisms.
Through these SSEs, Trogenix’s Odysseus platform delivers a comprehensive attack on cancer through controlled cell killing via targeted expression of cytotoxic payloads, immune modulation to overcome tumour-induced immunosuppression, and a unique ‘Trojan Horse’ approach that reawakens the immune system to provide long-term protection against recurrence.
World-Class Leadership Team
Trogenix emerged from groundbreaking research at the University of Edinburgh – including its UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology and Institute for Regeneration and Repair – and the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre. The company was co-founded by Professor Steve Pollard, a renowned authority in regenerative medicine and cancer biology, who serves as Chief Scientific Officer. Under his leadership, the company has rapidly advanced its revolutionary SSE platform from concept to preclinical proof-of-concept. Chief Executive Officer Dr Ken Macnamara brings extensive leadership experience in gene therapy and biotech, including senior roles at AskBio (a Bayer company), and involvement in three successful M&A exits.
“Our Odysseus platform represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment,” said Professor Steve Pollard, Chief Scientific Officer of Trogenix. “By precisely targeting cancer cell states rather than just cell types, we can achieve unprecedented selectivity while activating the body’s own immune system against the tumour. Our preclinical studies in glioblastoma have demonstrated complete responses with no toxicity and evidence of persistent anti-tumour immunity.”
Beyond GBM, Trogenix is advancing programmes in colorectal cancer liver metastases, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and regenerative medicine, with the goal of submitting five Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in five years.
Strategic Board Appointment
As Trogenix advances its groundbreaking platform toward clinical development, the company has appointed Tay Salimullah to its Board of Directors, his first Board appointment since leaving Novartis Gene Therapies. Tay has over 20 years of leadership experience in the rare disease and MedTech sectors, with a proven track record in incubating and scaling innovative, high-value technologies, including cell and gene therapies. He spent over a decade at Novartis in a series of leadership roles. As an Executive team member at Novartis Gene Therapies, Tay executed a new commercial model for Zolgensma® securing approvals in more than 55 countries, helping to treat over 4,000 patients, and generating more than $5 billion in revenue. Prior to his roles at Novartis, Tay worked in a variety of investment and healthcare roles, including a decade at Pfizer where he held several strategic and commercial roles. His expertise spans drug development, pricing science, market access, and operational excellence in high-value healthcare solutions. Tay holds a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Brunel, London.
About Trogenix
Trogenix unites cutting-edge technologies in genomics, oncology, immunotherapy, and gene therapy to create a revolutionary therapeutic approach through its Odysseus platform. Using proven AAV vectors, our proprietary Synthetic Super-Enhancers (SSEs) are delivered directly to tumour cells without detection. Our SSEs enable unprecedented precision in gene control, effectively revealing cancer to the body’s immune system and killing tumour cells. For any cells escaping Trogenix’s technology, our ‘Trojan horse’ reawakens the immune system, countering recurrence and offering potentially curative ‘one-and-done’ treatments for aggressive tumours. With our lead asset showing curative potential in preclinical glioblastoma studies, we’re poised to transform treatment paradigms across multiple cancer types and explore applications beyond oncology, such as regenerative medicine.
For more information, visit www.trogenixbio.com.
Disclaimer: This press release was originally published by Trogenix