Sulantrix (pseu-lan-tricks) is a drug discovery company that spun-out from the University of Liverpool in 2022. They are exploring new medicines targeting cancer in which previously untapped classes of pseudoenzymes are key.
Pseudoenzymes have a similar appearance and structure as enzymes, but do not appear to function as enzymes in cells. Sulantrix is particularly focussed on pseudokinases, special types of protein kinase that have evolved non-enzyme functions and which can become dysregulated (their mechanism impaired) in diseases, such as many of the hardest-to-treat cancers. The team are using state-of-the-art multi-omics platforms for new discoveries and target validation, as well as high-throughput screening, cheminformatics and AI-based technologies. Sulantrix is currently operating from the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology (ISMIB) and will be moving to new research premises on their next funding round.
Professor Patrick Eyers, co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer and Professor of Cell Signalling at ISMIB, is leading the science as they seek to integrate personalised approaches to medicine in order to develop breakthrough medicines in cancer. David Williams, co-founder and CEO, has over 37 years’ experience taking drugs from discovery through to the market in both Pharma and Biotech and is a seasoned entrepreneur.
The company has been set up with founder capital and University Enterprise Investment Funding and is aiming to raise seed funding in 2023/24 to expand its operations and progress multiple programmes towards the clinic.
Until recently, pseudokinases were somewhat of an enigma in human biology. However, their unique control functions in normal cells appear to be subverted in specific diseases, making them very attractive drug targets for specific patients. Sulantrix are putting patients at the centre of everything we do by leveraging decades of experience evaluating and drugging ‘kinases’, the enzymatically active cousins of pseudokinases, in order to find new ways to treat naïve and drug-resistant cancers.
Professor Patrick Eyers, Sulantrix CSO.
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