Science & Technology

Transforming cancer care by expanding the molecular target space

Science & Technology

The development of new treatment modalities in oncology is growing at an ever-increasing rate, but the lack of cancer-selective cell surface targets limits their application to few clinically effective cancer drugs.

In particular, biologics, such as antibodies, bi-specific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), are on the rise, and have significantly improved the clinical care of cancer patients.

However, at present, fewer than 30 molecular targets form the basis of all approved antibody-based cancer therapies – a stark contrast to the countless newly developed therapeutic modalities to target cell surface molecules.

Novel cancer-selective targets are therefore urgently needed to translate such technologies into the clinic and to ultimately deliver a clinically meaningful benefit for patients. Only then can we unleash the true clinical potential and realize our ambition to replace toxic and often hardly tolerable chemotherapies.

We have the solution at unprecedented scale. Our technology can discover a multitude of completely novel cell surface targets.

DISCO’S Target Discovery Platform

At DISCO, we challenge the standard process in drug discovery. Applying our pioneering surfaceome mapping platform will allow expanding the drug target universe, boosting the creation of novel therapeutics.

Our scalable drug discovery platform comprehensively maps the cell surface to identify proteins and associated neighbouring proteins in so called “protein communities” thus providing target candidates for both mono- as well as bi-specific antibodies.

Our platform is distinctive as newly discovered targets are:

Agnostic to therapeutic modality
Modular in application to cellular states
New proteins for single (mono-specific ADCs or T cell engagers) or co-targeting (bi-specific antibodies)

This insight enables the development of cancer-selective therapies, boosting efficacy and reducing side effects for patients.

Discovery Pipeline

Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Program

Our first discovery program focuses on Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), a detrimental tumor type with poor survival. No therapy specifically targeting SCLC tumor cells has been approved during the last decade. With our team of global experts in SCLC biology, proteomics, target assessment as well as drug discovery and development, we have completed the first-ever mapping of the SCLC surfaceome within months. This effort has revealed countless novel proteins and protein communities on the surface of SCLC cells and we have launched the development of therapeutics to target these.

DISCO has unveiled the first SCLC surfaceome, discovering numerous novel protein communities in SCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Program

The second discovery project has been launched in microsatellite-stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC), another tumor type with high unmet medical need. The prognosis for these patients is poor with limited therapeutic options. We have therefore initiated efforts to map the surfaceome of MSS CRC and the preliminary analysis on the cell surface protein communities is currently being performed.