Novel Therapeutics Targeting Cancer Stem Cells
Orally bioavailable small molecules to improve treatment outcomes for patients with cancer orphan disease indications
We are developing therapeutics for oncology orphan indications providing alternatives to treatments that often have significant adverse side effects and limited efficacy.
Our therapeutic candidates may be used as monotherapies or in combination with existing standard-of-care treatments to improve their effectiveness.
Disrupting critical regulators of cancer
Our lead drug, ES-3000, not only kills cancer cells, but also targets cancer stem cells, which are a major cause of disease proliferation and reoccurrence as well as resistance to existing treatments.
ES-3000 reduces leukemic stem cells through inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin and CaMKIIγ. High levels of β-catenin expression have been correlated to poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and CaMKIIγ, a protein kinase, is a critical regulator of myeloid cell proliferation.
Escend has two development programs for cancers that primarily affect the elderly
ES-3000 blocks the production of leukemic stem cells (LSC) to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
Our second program, ES-4000, inhibits mRNA translation of oncogenic proteins to combat solid tumors, such as pancreatic, colon, and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).