ceacam5
(2)
The Cancer Drug That Waited for a Click
Shasqi proved a chemical reaction could switch on a cancer drug inside a person. The first therapy did not beat its clinical hurdle, and the company is now taking the same chemistry beyond tumors a needle can reach.
Kivu Bioscience
Kivu Bioscience is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Mateo, California, building next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for solid tumors. Founded by BioGeneration Ventures and led by ADC veteran Mohit Trikha, the company licenses Synaffix's GlycoConnect and HydraSpace site-specific conjugation technology to engineer more homogeneous, stable ADCs that aim to widen the therapeutic window - hitting tumors harder while sparing healthy tissue. Backed by a $92 million Series A led by Novo Holdings, Kivu has moved its lead candidates KIVU-107 (PTK7) and KIVU-305 (CEACAM5) into Phase 1 clinical trials.