Sareum’s drug discovery focuses on targeted small molecule therapeutics. These are designed to disrupt the biochemical processes that drive the growth of cancers and development of auto-immune diseases.
Biochemical process: |
Sareum’s approach: |
Certain cancer cells are able to repair DNA damage making them resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. |
Targeting the biochemical processes that enable cancer cells to repair damaged DNA. |
Cancer cells develop differently from normal cells in many ways. In particular, cancer cells divide and grow much more rapidly than normal cells. | Targeting the biochemical processes that control cell growth and division. |
Once a solid tumour reaches a certain size, it often connects to the body's lymph systems to remove waste. The lymph system often creates a route for a cancer to spread to other areas of the body (metastasis). | Disrupting the signals that are involved in the generation of new lymph vessels to a tumour. |
Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases can be caused by excess production of cytokines (signalling molecules). | Targeting the signalling processes associated with these cytokines. |
Targeted cancer therapies disrupt specific biochemical processes necessary for tumour growth. These processes are specific to cancer cells and therefore may be:
Small molecule therapeutics are different to "biological" drugs such as antibodies. They can: