Pioneering Novel Approaches to Solid Malignancies

At District 3, we're proud to showcase CURA Therapeutics, an innovative pre-seed venture in the Bio sector co-founded by Collin Horner and Claudia Penafuerte. This groundbreaking team is developing transformative Medtech solutions that address one of oncology's most significant challenges.

The Critical Challenge

The landscape of cancer treatment presents sobering statistics and persistent challenges:

• Over 90% of all cancer-related deaths are due to solid malignancies
• Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates at just 9%
• Standard treatments based on chemotherapies and radiotherapies have proven largely ineffective
• New approaches are urgently needed to improve outcomes for these difficult-to-treat cancers

The Innovative Solution

CURA Therapeutics has developed a revolutionary immunotherapy platform designed to treat a wide range of solid malignancies:

• Patented technology that harnesses cytokines to create multi-functional proteins
• Novel therapeutic agents with potent anti-cancer properties
• Unique dual-action mechanism that addresses multiple aspects of tumor biology
• Potential to transform treatment approaches for cancers with poor prognoses

Breakthrough Technology

What sets CURA Therapeutics apart is their proprietary technology, which represents a significant advancement in cancer immunotherapy:

"Our immunotherapy's ability to reactivate the immune system's response against cancer while disrupting the tumour's blood supply sets us apart from the competition. Currently, there are no treatments on the market that combine these properties in one single therapeutic."

— Collin Horner, Co-founder, CURA Therapeutics

Scientific Foundation

The company's innovation is built on sophisticated protein engineering:

• A fusion of two proteins derived from the immune system
• Novel fusion protein that gains new pharmacological properties
• Reactivation of immune system response against cancer by inducing robust T cells, NK cells and B cells activation
• Production of interferon from activated immune cells
• Disruption of the tumor's blood supply, preventing growth and metastasis

This multi-pronged approach addresses several critical aspects of cancer biology simultaneously, potentially overcoming limitations of current treatment approaches.

Building Biotech Innovation

The journey of developing advanced biotechnology solutions requires substantial support and resources. CURA Therapeutics exemplifies how early-stage biotech ventures can leverage ecosystem support to advance groundbreaking science.

"Having access to both material and intellectual resources is invaluable for early-stage biotech company success and the key to accelerate the advancement of the early-stage biotech development in our region and positively impact economic growth in Quebec and Canada for years to come!"

— Collin Horner, Co-founder, CURA Therapeutics

Advancing Cancer Treatment Through Innovation

CURA Therapeutics demonstrates how District 3's ecosystem supports deep technology ventures at the cutting edge of medical science. By developing novel immunotherapy approaches to solid malignancies, they're working to address one of healthcare's most significant challenges—showing how biotechnology innovation can potentially transform outcomes for patients facing the most difficult cancer diagnoses.

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