Sprint Bioscience is broadening its pipeline with an additional drug program for the treatment of solid tumors.

The program goes by the program name NIMA and aims to develop drugs to inhibit a naturally occurring protein that is associated with poor survival in several different forms of cancer, states the company.

“We have once again been able to identify a target protein that constitutes a very attractive starting point for a new drug program. The ambition is to influence the microenvironment of the tumors so that the growth of cancer cells is inhibited and the body’s immune system can more easily fight them. We will in a time- and resource-efficient way drive the project to a point where it can dock into an international pharmaceutical company’s portfolio and be taken further to clinic development towards the market and cancer patients who need new treatment option,” says Erik Kinnman, CEO, Sprint Bioscience.

The NIMA program

The NIMA program focuses on a target protein that produces metabolites that are important for the reprogramming of the tumor’s microenvironment. Sprint Bioscience develops inhibitors of this target protein to restore balance and thereby prevent the growth of cancer cells while increasing the immune system’s ability to attack them. High levels of the current target protein have been found in tumors from, amongst others, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. Patients with high levels of this protein have a poorer prognosis.

Part of the company’s accelerating strategy

The initiation of the NIMA program is part of the company’s accelerating strategy to broaden its project portfolio in the cancer area and thereby create opportunities for further licensing deals that can generate additional multiple revenue streams.

Photo of Erik Kinnman: Fredrik Hjerling