Kairos Discovery raises €1.2M to develop its first drug candidate in oncology.

Kairos Discovery is biotechnology company developing a portfolio of drug candidates for potential applications in oncology. Based on its expertise in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, the company designs small chemical molecules with innovative modes of action and high selectivity for biological targets involved in tumor survival and resistance. A few months after its creation, Karos Discovery has just raised €1.2M to support the preclinical development of its first drug candidate. These funds were provided by Health Angel Rhône-Alpes, 33 California, individual investors, financial institutions including BPI France as well as grants. 

Over the next 12 months, these financial resources will be used for the preclinical development of its first drug candidate, a protein kinase CK2 inhibitor. The involvement of this protein has been reported in a large number of solid tumors and hematological cancers. Recent evidence indicates that abnormally high levels of CK2 create a cellular microenvironment in patients that is more conducive to cancer progression, in addition to reinforcing a phenotype resistant to therapeutic agents. Kairos is developing a unique approach to modulate the aberrant activity of this protein and rapidly lead to tumor cell death without impacting the integrity of healthy cells. The anti-tumor efficacy and safety of this approach have been validated in early in-vitro and in-vivo models, both as a single agent and in combination.