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Supported by Oxford University Innovation, the company will leverage over two decades of work by co-founder Professor Paresh Vyas to target common cancer proteins and revolutionise treatment options for patients.
The company secured a £16.5 million Series A funding round, led by the investment management firm Syncona Limited, which will drive the development of innovative treatments targeting specific cancer markers.
Over the past 20 years, working in the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Professor Vyas has compiled a unique biobank of over 10,000 samples from more than 3,000 acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients, including those cured through blood cell transplants. This extensive research has led to the discovery of new cancer markers that could enable highly targeted treatments.
The company’s initial focus will be on AML, which is responsible for 62% of leukaemia deaths and currently lacks a standard treatment for many patients. Yellowstone’s approach uses bispecific T-cell therapies designed to specifically attack cancer cells while sparing healthy ones by targeting markers presented by HLA-Class II molecules.
Beyond AML, Yellowstone’s technology holds promise for improving treatment and extending survival for other common cancers that express HLA-Class II markers, such as ovarian, lung, colorectal, prostate, breast, kidney cancers, and melanoma. This innovative approach aims to make a significant impact on the treatment landscape for these challenging diseases.
Professor Paresh Vyas, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Yellowstone, commented:
Therapeutically targeting common antigens has always been a challenge, but our two decades of research have uncovered a new class of targets that could treat cancer and improve patient survival. We believe our technology can precisely kill tumour cells while preserving healthy ones across various cancers. Together with Syncona, we are initially focusing on developing highly selective TCR-based therapies for AML, where we have extensive experience and data. Moving forward, we aim to expand our pipeline to include other cancers, maximising Yellowstone's potential.
The full story can be found here: https://innovation.ox.ac.uk/news/yellowstone-biosciences-spinout-launches-to-advance-cutting-edge-cancer-therapies-from-university-of-oxford-research/