Saros Therapeutics Receives Second $2 Million Award to Advance Cancer Immunotherapy
Saros Therapeutics, a company in Rosalind Franklin University's Helix 51 incubator, has received its second National Cancer Institute award of approximately $2 million. The funding will support preclinical development towards a new drug application.
Saros Therapeutics, incubated at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science's Helix 51 facility, has secured its second Phase II award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), totaling approximately $2 million. This two-year grant will advance the company's nanoparticle technology aimed at treating cancer.
The new funding from the NCI is designated for studies required to move Saros' experimental therapy closer to an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, paving the way for potential human clinical trials. The company is developing a treatment designed to enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancers that evade natural defenses.
The technology leverages the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway, a critical component of the body's innate immune defense system. Activating this pathway is intended to prompt the immune system to target and eliminate cancerous tumors. Research involving Saros' SMP nanoparticle system was previously published in the journal Science.
"This major recognition by NCI of the Saros novel delivery system for metastatic cancer is truly exciting," said Janice Urban, RFU interim executive vice president for research. "We look forward to their progress towards an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and advancing new therapy to benefit cancer patients."
Saros Therapeutics, a preclinical biotechnology company, plans to expand its research operations and footprint within RFU's Innovation and Research Park with the support of this grant. The company aims to provide safer and more effective cancer treatments by precisely targeting innate immune cells.