ACHEMA Start-up Award Finalist: PROSION

How many ways are there to treat a disease? So far not enough. PROSION has set out to build a platform of building blocks for new pharmaceutical drugs against hard-to-treat diseases.

Protein-protein interactions are the main targets for phamarcological intervention. However, currently more than 85 % of proteins can not be addressed. “Existing pharmaceutical methods are running out of new ways to reach hard-to-treat diseases. This is because only 15% of the human proteome is currently considered as druggable. If we are to have a better chance of fighting these diseases, we need to unlock the remaining 85 % that is considered undruggable”, explains Slim Chiha, co-founder and CEO of PROSION. “That is exactly where PROSION’s technology comes into play: our proprietary platform accelerates drug development for undruggable targets of urgent diseases, starting with breast & pancreatic cancer.”

Building drugs from bricks

A relevant share of these so-called “undruggables” consist of protein targets that recognize proline-rich motifs (PRM). They play a role in a variety of diseases, including cancer metastatis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. PROSION has established a platform of Proline-derived molecules that compete with PRM: “Our innovation is based on our rationally designed building blocks – we call them “ProMs”. They adopt a unique structure, allowing them to address a specific family of "undruggable" targets”says Slim Chiha. “As a platform, they can essentially be fused together, much like LEGO bricks, into potential drugs. For our proof of concept in breast and pancreatic cancer, we could show that a small molecule drug containing two ProMs caused a remarkable suppression of cancer cell invasion and overall tumor growth.”

Now the ProM-platform will serve as a basis for the development  of  ProM-based  lead compounds. PROSION is both striving to push its own drug compound through pre-clinical and clinical development, but also offering access to its ProM-platform to potential partners.

Even though he has to admit that the transition from an academic to an industrial setting was challenging – “This would include adopting a biotech mindset, being as time and cost effective as possible, developing executive leadership skills as well as more bureaucratic aspects, such as the IP-transfer” – he remains convinced of having made the right decision. This is supported by his experiences when talking to potential partners and investors: “Thankfully for us, the science behind our project is something that a lot of people can relate to. Cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease affect many people, thus convincing externals of our purpose and mission happens often very naturally.”