Oniria Therapeutics raises $2 million to develop a drug designed to eliminate tumour cells that are resistant to conventional treatments

The biotech company Oniria Therapeutics, in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), has received two million euros in public funding to promote the development of Onr-001, a drug designed to eliminate tumour cells that are resistant to conventional treatments.

The funding, from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Union, will be used to validate a biomarker capable of monitoring the response of melanoma patients to treatment with Onr-001.

The main innovation of this drug lies in its ability to hyperactivate the TET2 enzyme to a level that is lethal to resistant tumour cells. In preclinical models, Onr-001 has shown efficacy in inhibiting metastatic progression in melanoma, colon cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia.

TET2 activation leaves a specific imprint on cellular DNA that serves as a biomarker to assess the efficacy of the drug. This monitoring will be carried out using a nanoparticle technology developed by the CSIC, which makes it possible to detect this marker through a blood test. The project will last approximately three years, and the biomarker is expected to be validated in clinical trials together with Onr-001 in 2027.

‘The incorporation of this biomarker is key to advancing the development of more effective precision oncology,’ explains Héctor G. Palmer, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Oniria. Esther Riambau, CEO of the firm, says the grants are a ‘crucial milestone to progress in the clinical development of Onr-001’, while providing ‘excellent validation’ of its therapeutic approach.

Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from Vall d'Hebron Institut d'Oncologia (VHIO), the University of Barcelona (UB) and Icrea, Oniria Therapeutics specialises in the development of targeted therapies to eliminate persistent tumour cells. In 2023, the company closed a €1.28 million financing round, with the prominent participation of the Botín Foundation and BStartup, Banco Sabadell's startup support initiative.