PNP Therapeutics
Clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals developing cancer treatment platform with proprietary products.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor | €0.0 | round |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | $290k | Seed | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Related Content
PNP Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that developed a gene therapy technology platform, Gedeptin®, for treating various cancers. The company was founded in 2000 by William B. Parker, Ph.D., and is based on discoveries by Dr. Parker and Eric J. Sorscher, M.D., from Southern Research Institute and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
The company's core technology centers on programming solid tumors to create their own chemotherapy, causing self-destruction. This is achieved by delivering a non-human enzyme, E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), into tumor cells using a vector like an adenovirus. Subsequently, a non-toxic prodrug, such as fludarabine phosphate, is administered systemically. The enzyme within the tumor activates the prodrug, converting it into a potent, toxic agent that kills both dividing and non-dividing cancer cells. This localized activation is designed to be highly potent against the tumor while minimizing systemic toxicity and damage to healthy surrounding tissue.
PNP Therapeutics' business model focused on developing its proprietary technology through preclinical and clinical trials, with the goal of partnering with larger pharmaceutical companies for later-stage development and commercialization. The company's intellectual property was exclusively licensed from the UAB Research Foundation and Southern Research Institute. Funding was secured through multiple rounds, including from investors like Greer Capital Advisors and Phase I Holdings, as well as approximately $10 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health. In 2015, the FDA granted orphan drug status to Gedeptin for treating head and neck cancer. On September 28, 2021, PNP Therapeutics entered into an agreement with GeoVax, Inc., granting GeoVax an exclusive license to the intellectual property and assets related to Gedeptin®.
Keywords: gene therapy, oncology, prodrug activation, cancer treatment, Gedeptin, biopharmaceutical, clinical-stage, E. coli PNP, solid tumors, immunotherapy