Overview
Cancer cells display specific bio-energetic abnormalities that constitute ideal targets for the design and development of novel therapies for cancer treatment that selectively attack cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.Nobel Prize winner Otto Warburg had shown in the early part of the 20th century that cancer cells produce their energy in a different way than normal cells (the "Warburg Effect"). In contrast to normal tissues, cancerous tumors produce their energy stocks (ATP) by using glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, while normal cells rely mostly on the latter.This "glycolytic shift" is a critical feature in the malignant phenotype of tumor cells. It is also the basis for the detection of tumors in patients by Positron Emission Tomography (PET scan), which is widely used in the clinical diagnosis of cancer.
An original observation by Professor Eliezer Flescher at the University of Tel Aviv showed that the natural compound methyl-jasmonate targets the mechanisms underlying the Warburg Effect in cancer cells and thus display a selective anticancer activity. Based on this scientific observation, Sepal Pharma is working in collaboration with Prof. Fleschers' group at Tel Aviv University to develop a portfolio of drug candidates.
Sepal's jasmonate derivative drug candidates offer a new therapeutic class for cancer treatment. By specifically targeting the mechanisms of the Warburg Effect, these candidates exhibit a large spectrum of cancer indication ("pan-cancer drugs") and display limited side effects in comparison to classical cytotoxic drugs.
