Esperance Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Esperance Pharmaceuticals is developing a unique, targeted, anticancer fusion protein that is selectively toxic to cancer cells. Targeting occurs through the designed ligand component that binds singular extracellular receptors on the cancer cell. The potent cytolytic peptide portion of the drug kills the cancer cell. Initial experiments in therapeutic animal models of human cancer showed regression of well-established tumors.
The Louisiana Fund I LP (Baton Rouge, La.) founded Esperance on technology discovered by researchers at Louisiana State University, the LSU AgCenter and the LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In October 2006, Research Corporation Technologies co-led a $9 million Series A investment in Esperance that will help the company move its lead anticancer compound toward early clinical testing.
RCT joined the Louisiana Fund I and Themelios Ventures Partners LP (Shreveport, La.) as a co-investor.
As part of the financing, RCT's Chad Souvignier, Ph.D., joins the Esperance board of directors.
Esperance plans to use the Series A funding to identify a lead compound, establish an assay to select candidate patients and conduct a proof-of-concept study in humans with cancer.
Inventors/Founders
William Hansel, Ph.D.; Carola Leuschner, Ph.D., LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and Fred Enright, Ph.D., LSU AgCenter
Esperance Contact
Hector Alila, D.V.M., Ph.D., President and CEO, (225) 615-8949
RCT Contact
Chad Souvignier, Ph.D., Managing Director and Esperance board member
Related Web Sites
http://www.esperancepharma.com
http://esperancepharmaceuticals.com