We are proceeding with Research & Development to deliver the world’s first-in-class anti-cancer drug from Japan.

1. Our Research

Chordia Therapeutics Inc. is a startup company developing the next generation of anti-cancer drugs based on solid scientific evidence. Our anti-cancer drug pipelines are built around the focus on RNA deregulation, which has been identified as a new hallmark of cancer. Recent studies have newly identified altered RNA regulation in cancer and shown that this RNA deregulation plays a major role in cancer development and progression. Our goal is to develop new therapies that could change the lives of cancer patients by creating small molecule drugs that target RNA deregulation. In order to realize this therapy, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of cancers with RNA deregulation, identify new therapeutic targets, as well as establish a strategy for personalized medicine to deliver new drugs to patients expected to have a significantly higher therapeutic effect. To make this possible, we are actively engaged in joint research with universities and other research institutions that possess next-generation sequencing technology and cutting-edge gene editing technology. Through the above studies, we will explore the potential of Chordia's pipelines to provide beneficial therapeutic effects to cancer patients.

2. “RNA Deregulation” A Novel Hallmark of Cancer

The diverse nature of cancer has been understood so far as possessing six key characteristics: autonomous proliferative signaling, sustained angiogenesis, metastatic potential, apoptosis evasion, semi-permanent proliferation, and unresponsiveness to growth suppression signals. Recent studies have further identified several novel cancer characteristics, all of which are common to many types of cancer. These novel features are now recognized as cancer stress phenotypes: DNA damage stress, oxidative stress, mitotic stress, proteotoxic stress, metabolic stress, and immune stress. In addition to these known stress phenotypes in cancer, a newly discovered one is RNA deregulation stress. However, cancer therapies targeting this RNA deregulation stress are not yet well established. Our work at Chordia focuses on this newly identified cancer stress phenotype, RNA deregulation stress.

3. The Chordia Pipeline Focuses on “RNA Deregulation”

The recent revolution in RNA research has led to the identification of novel RNA classes with unanticipated functions, new types of RNA modifications, and an unexpected widespread transcription of extragenic regions. RNA deregulation is caused by the accumulation of these abnormal RNA of any class. Based on our expanding knowledge of RNA biology, RNA deregulation has drawn much attention from the perspective of cancer therapy. However, the development of cancer therapies targeting RNA deregulation has only just begun. Small molecules that attack the RNA maturation processes and produce aberrant RNA are currently under development.

Specifically, we have pipelines under development targeting a) transcription (CDK12 inhibitors), b) splicing (CLK inhibitors), c) RNA degradation (undisclosed), and d) tRNA recruitment (GCN2 inhibitors). These pipelines target the RNA maturation process and induce the accumulation of aberrant RNA, causing further stress in cancer cells due to aberrant RNA. We expect that our pipeline for stress inducers of aberrant RNA will be an innovative cancer treatment option for cancer patients.

Illustrated by Chordia