Brain Cancer
Small Molecule Therapeutics
Brain and other nervous system cancer is the ninth leading cause of cancer death. Brain and other nervous system cancers are relatively rare compared to other cancers. However, it is a significant complication and a highly unmet medical need.
MD2 Biosciences, Inc. has identified a first-in-class-β-catenin inhibitor as a novel approach to treat brain cancer. WNT signaling starts at the cell surface and extends into the nucleus through its crucial player, β-catenin. Wnt signaling controls the expression of numerous genes that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. The concentration of β-catenin is tightly regulated by the degradation machinery comprising GSK3β, CK1, APC, and AXIN. Direct targeting of β-catenin is considered the safest and most efficient therapeutic approach against the WNT pathway. Our ‘β-catenin inhibitors’ directly target β-catenin protein in the cytoplasm and reduce burden in the nucleus.
Recent literature suggests that β-catenin is known to induce transcriptional expression of PD-L1 to promote glioma immune invasion, so targeting β-catenin is considered a highly targeted therapy.