About Oncorena
Oncorena AB is a Swedish pharmaceutical company founded in 2011, in Gothenburg, with the mission to develop a breakthrough treatment for metastatic renal cancer headquartered in Lund. Our objective is to confirm the powerful anti-tumor activity and other clinical benefits of orellanine in advanced kidney cancer patients.
The treatment is based on research led by professor Börje Haraldsson at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The project was initially developed with support from Vinnova, Sweden's Innovation Agency, GU Ventures at the University of Gothenburg, and private business angels. Today, Oncorena is mainly financed by the investment companies HealthCap, Linc AB, Fåhraeus Startup and Growth AB, as well as the biopharma company AQILION AB.
Oncorena’s project was initiated with the support from Sweden’s Innovation Agency, VINNOVA, and Oncorena was managed by GU Ventures at the University of Gothenburg. In 2013, Aqilion (legacy Partners for Development Investments in Life Sciences, P.U.L.S. AB) became the principal owner. In 2016 HealthCap, a venture capital firm and one of the largest healthcare investors in Europe, invested in a rights use.
Looking ahead
The innovative aspect combined with the large unmet medical need are crucial factors for Oncorena moving forward. An efficient treatment for metastatic renal cancer is an urgent and major unmet clinical need – not only because of the poor survival – but also due to projected increase in incidence among the aging population and related healthcare costs.
Based on promising preclinical data, orellanine has the potential to provide superior clinical benefits over current treatment options.
If the results of the upcoming clinical trial program will be as encouraging as the powerful anti-tumor effects demonstrated in preclinical studies, ONC175 (orellanine) has the potential to transform metastatic renal cancer from incurable to potentially curable, or to at least show significantly longer survival compared to current therapies.
Oncorena targets an orphan drug indication, and the Company foresees a lean development which will strengthen the commercial potential of the project. Oncorena’s drug candidate ONC175 (orellanine) has a great potential for market disruption.
