Pioneering drugs

Kancera is a world leader in developing small molecule drugs for cancer and inflammation.

The company’s two main drug candidates are KAND567 in phase II for treatment of acute inflammatory conditions, and KAND145 in clinical preparatory studies prior to the start of phase I for treatment-resistant ovarian cancer.

Kancera is listed on Nasdaq OMX First North Premier since 2016. The company is based at Karolinska Institutet Science Park in Stockholm, a world-leading center for medical innovations.

Why develop drugs against the fractalkine system?

Intensive research on the role of the fractalkin system in connection with inflammation and cancer shows that this control system can determine whether certain immune and cancer cells are allowed to pass from the blood into different tissues, which can, for example, complicate inflammatory conditions. In addition, the system facilitates the ability of cancer cells to repair themselves. No existing treatment can inhibit the fractalkin system, which means that today we lack this opportunity to counteract worsening inflammatory conditions or to prevent cancer from developing resistance to common standard treatments with chemotherapy. With a drug at hand that blocks the fractalkine system, opportunities are opened to help patients who have great medical needs to be met.”

What is the role of Kancera?

“Kancera has contributed to this development by inventing and developing several patented drug candidates that block the fractalkine system. Kancera is now a world leader in the clinical development of these small molecule drug candidates and has shown both safety and pharmacological effect in seriously ill patients. Now our efforts are focused on evaluating clinical benefit in patients with advanced cancer and acute inflammation in several planned and ongoing clinical studies.”

Torbjörn Lundström, Senior Medical Advisor

Kancera is run by a team with solid experience and the well-documented ability to translate discoveries of new disease mechanisms into drug candidates and to develop these through the clinic to a strong market position. Together, the team has solid knowledge from innovative research organizations within AstraZeneca, Pharmacia, Biovitrum and Karolinska Institutet.

Kancera has mainly focused on cancer and inflammatory diseases. As research consultants, Kancera’s team has carried out projects for pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies in the USA as well as in Europe. Among these assignments is, for example, the development of the chemistry that laid the foundation for Enasidenib, a drug that has been marketed since 2017 by the American pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb for the treatment of acute leukemia (AML).

Commercialization of drug candidates is expected to take place in partnership with internationally established drug companies according shown efficacy profile in phase II patients. In this phase, early clinical drug projects are judged to provide the greatest return on invested capital.

The final agreement structure is determined by the company’s strategic priorities at the time of the transaction regarding short- and long-term financial goals. Partial payments from partners are expected to be made at signature, milestones in product development typically in connection with sub-steps in clinical development, at registration and on the market.

The guiding force of Kancera’s drug development is strategic collaboration with world-leading researchers, clinics and established technical expertise, driven by common goals and long-term, mutual value creation.

Collaborations and partnerships are part of Kancera’s strategy for effective progress towards scientific, clinical and commercial goals for the pharmaceutical projects. Kancera provides unique drug candidates to the dedicated team of experts of scientific and commercial partners with which the company collaborates. The conditions for cooperation build a strong foundation for long-term and mutually rewarding cooperation.

Here are examples of some of Kancera’s ongoing collaborations.