A2i Therapeutics is a joint venture between FutuRx and Atomwise. It is developing small molecule inhibitors of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) for treating cancer.
Scientific approach
ADAR1 deaminates the nucleotide adenosine to inosine in double stranded RNA (dsRNA), making dsRNA molecules unstable and preventing their accumulation. Accumulation of dsRNA in eukaryotic cells triggers and immune response, and thus elevated ADAR1 activity has been reported in some cancers, and potentially allows cancer cells to exploit its activity to evade immune detection.
Indications
NSCLC, Triple negative breast cancer
Team
Oshik Segev, PhD – CSO