AecorBio has successfully completed an equity financing round of $1.5m (£1.1m), enabling the company to investigate its lead peptide candidate FT-002a to treat advanced prostate cancer. 

AecorBio, formerly known as HBC Immunology Inc, will use the financing to enable an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2026 for FT-002a. Filing the IND could represent a critical milestone, paving the way for AecorBio to transition FT-002a into clinical development, as a co-therapy in the management of advanced prostate cancer.  

FT-002a is a first-in-class peptide co-therapeutic for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Advanced prostate cancer affects more than 250,000 men annually in the US alone. Unlike conventional treatments, FT-002a resets tumour iron metabolism by restoring iron-responsive gene expression homeostasis. An increased labile iron pool (LIP) is a critical driver of tumour growth, spread and resistance to therapy. FT-002a restores LIP balance and tumour sensitivity to ARPI treatment, by helping starve the tumour cells of free iron.  

The current addressable market for resistant prostate cancer is more than $2.5 billion (£1.8 billion) annually and the total ARPI market is in excess of $10 billion (£7.3 billion) a year, continuing to show sustained, strong annual growth.  

Compelling preclinical data supports the modulation of tumour iron metabolism by FT-002a. In animal models of resistant prostate cancer, FT-002a orally delivered in a proprietary formulation achieved an 80% reduction in tumour volume when co-administered with the current standard of care, the ARPI enzalutamide (Pfizer), compared to enzalutamide alone. In hormone sensitive advanced prostate cancer, an even higher anti-tumour activity was observed, with up to 97% reduction in tumour volume. 

“The closing of this financing round reflects strong investor confidence in our vision and scientific platform,” said Dr Bomi Framroze, CEO of AecorBio. “Our immediate focus is to complete the IND-enabling studies and move FT-002a into the clinic. With a differentiated mechanism of action, clean preliminary toxicity results and compelling preclinical efficacy, we believe FT-002a has the potential to become a transformative therapy for patients with treatment-resistant prostate cancer.” 

 

Bruno Quinney, Content Team, DDW