C4 Therapeutics

C4 Therapeutics, Inc. (C4T) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that went public in October 2020, trading under the Nasdaq symbol CCCC. Founded in 2015, the company emerged from the pioneering research of its scientific founders, including James "Jay" Bradner, a key figure from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Bradner's work in targeted protein degradation, which involves using the cell's own machinery to eliminate disease-causing proteins, forms the scientific bedrock of the company. The founding vision was to translate this academic breakthrough into a powerful therapeutic platform.

C4T operates at the forefront of the targeted protein degradation field, a specialized segment of the biopharmaceutical market focused on oncology and other difficult-to-treat diseases. The company's core asset is its proprietary TORPEDO® (Target Oriented Protein Degrader Optimizer) platform. This technology enables the rapid design and optimization of small-molecule drugs, known as degraders. Unlike traditional inhibitors that merely block a protein's function, C4T's degraders are engineered to harness the body's natural ubiquitin-proteasome system to identify, tag, and completely eliminate specific disease-causing proteins. This approach offers the potential to overcome drug resistance, a common challenge in cancer therapy, and to target proteins previously considered "undruggable."

The company's business model is centered on the research, development, and eventual commercialization of its pipeline of degrader candidates. A significant portion of its revenue is derived from collaboration agreements with major pharmaceutical companies. For instance, a 2019 partnership with Roche involved a $15 million upfront payment and the potential for over $750 million in milestone payments, plus royalties, for the co-development of treatments for diseases like cancer. C4T is advancing multiple programs through clinical trials, including candidates for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, such as CFT7455 and CFT8634. These trials represent critical steps toward validating the TORPEDO® platform and bringing a new class of medicines to patients facing limited treatment options.

Keywords: targeted protein degradation, biopharmaceutical, oncology, small-molecule drugs, TORPEDO platform, clinical-stage, drug development, protein recycling, cancer therapy, undruggable targets