Step Pharma is the world leader in the discovery and development of inhibitors of CTPS1 (cytidine triphosphate synthase 1) for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company was founded in France in 2014 based upon the observation that genetic loss of CTPS1 led to a highly specific lymphocyte phenotype.

Step Pharma’s lead program STP938 is a potent, selective, oral inhibitor of CTPS1 currently in clinical development for the treatment of relapsed and refractory T-cell and B-cell lymphoma. Sensitivity to CTPS1 in solid tumors is conferred via a synthetic lethal approach driven by genomic loss of the paralog enzyme CTPS2. The prevalence of loss is >15% in multiple tumor types with highest prevalence (20%) in ovarian cancer. A Phase I/II study using biomarker selection in ovarian cancer patients will start in 3Q24.
They expect to deliver Proof of Concept data in both lymphoma and solid tumours in 2025.

CTPS1 inhibition is a novel mechanism and STP938 is a First In Class molecule. There is a significant unmet need in T cell lymphoma with very few options after relapse from chemotherapy. STP938 has the potential to transform the treatment of both Peripheral and Cutaneous T cell lymphoma as well as provide options for patients with B cell lymphoma.

The ability to biomarker select solid tumor patients sensitive to STP938 opens up an opportunity to treat many solid tumor types with high unmet need including platinum refractory ovarian cancer. Our expectation is that success in one cancer type would enable progression to a tumor agnostic biomarker approval and ability to treat many tumor types including bladder, lung, pancreatic and gastric where prevalence of CTPS2 loss is high.

–  Therapeutic areas: Oncology, Haematology

–  Based in: Saint-Genis-Puilly and Paris (FRANCE)
Cambridge (UK), Buchillon (SWITZERLAND)

–  Employees: 1 – 10

– Created in: 2014