In addition to our experimental developments, market analysis and commercial feasibility were crucial pillars of our project. With support from a consulting company with biomedical expertise we analysed the disease “landscape” of bladder cancer and Ewing sarcoma, the two cancers with the highest occurrence of STAG2 mutations. This assessment revealed the following:
1. Bladder cancer therapy has a large market with many assets currently in development.
2. The standard of care and treatment options for bladder cancer are inadequate, resulting in a high unmet medical need.
3. Ewing sarcoma has seen no therapeutic advancements in the last 20 years, leading to a high unmet need for novel drugs.
4. Both cancers require agents with novel modes of action, including targeted therapies, that offer increased efficacy and tolerability.
Legal experts also assessed the IP landscape and found no patents or commercial drug development pipelines involving STAG1 or STAG2, except for one patent protecting STAG1 oligonucleotides. These findings highlighted the commercial potential of our project.
We developed a comprehensive business plan to present the commercial opportunity to investors. This plan includes the presentation of Cohesin-Tx and its application for precision medicine, a marketing plan, market size and dynamics, IPR position and strategy, regulatory strategy, logistics, SWOT analysis, business management team, business model, potential partners, financial forecast, and funding strategy. The business plan has been reviewed and approved by several experts.
In summary, the activities of this ERC-PoC grant have paved the way for the establishment of Cohesin-Tx with the aim to develop a selective, safe, and efficacious STAG1 inhibitor.
