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First-in-Class Therapeutics targeting Pan-Cancer Glycosaminoglycans
VAR2 Pharmaceuticals
We are a near clinical-stage Danish biotech company spun out from the University of Copenhagen. Meet our Team and read our Company History.
Our Mission is to develop novel therapies for cancer with a particular focus on hard-to-treat, recurrent and metastatic cancers.
A unique target for cancer therapies first identified by our founders.
Oncofetal Chondroitin Sulfate (CS) is a long sugar chain with a heavy sulfation pattern. This secondary modification is highly overexpressed in over 95% of cancers, with little to no expression in healthy tissue (except for placenta).
Tissues from patient needle biopsies stained for oncofetal CS and nucleus
CryoEM structure of Vartumab oligomer binding oncofetal CS
Portfolio of first-in-class antibodies with high affinity and specificity for oncofetal CS.
Vartumabs have tunable plasma half-life, can deliver complete tumor penetration, bind 95% of cancers and localize specifically and only to tumors in rodent models.
Vartumabs are suitable for most therapy types, including antibody-drug conjugates, radiotherapy, bispecifics and cell-based therapies.
We have compiled an extensive pre-clinical data package showing efficacy and safety of Vartumabs in antibody-drug conjugate and CD3-bispecific formats.
Our first clinical study will start in Q3 2024 and pave the way for efficacy trials focusing on a nominated ADC candidate.
In parallel, we are exploring the use of Vartumabs in other therapy types.
