Roquefort therapeutics is a pioneering company creating cancer therapies using novel targets and novel modalities, in some cases both. With a leadership team sporting Nobel winning biologist Sir Martin Evans and Ajan Reginald as CEO. Roquefort’s focus is on early oncology innovation, finding unvalidated or early preclinical programmes and developing them in a way that commensurate with big pharma.
The midkine antibody programme at Roquefort Therapeutics focuses on targeting midkine, a heparin-binding protein highly expressed in resistant tumours. The programme has demonstrated a significant reduction in the metastatic index in the lung when treated with the midkine antibody, making it a promising second or third line therapy for patients with high midkine-expressing tumours.
Roquefort is also developing a midkine oligonucleotide programme uses a novel technology called splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSO). These oligos change the conformation of midkine from full-length to truncated. This truncated midkine binds to midkine receptors in solid tumors and free midkine expressed by the tumors, leading to a significant reduction in tumour size. Early data shows a compelling reduction in tumor volume.
Furthermore, the STAT6 siRNA Programme at Roquefort Therapeutics targets STAT6, a part of the JAK pathway, in solid tumours that show significant resistance to current treatments. The programme has demonstrated a significant reduction in both the weight and volume of these tumours in preclinical studies.
Finally, Reginald discussed Roquefort’s MK or mesodermal killer cell programme, which have shown both direct cytotoxicity and the ability to prime natural killer (NK) cells. This programme aims to enhance the effectiveness of NK cells in treating solid tumours, with promising in vivo data indicating significant increases in NK cell priming capacity.
