OnCuRNA
Industry: Ovarian cancer treatment
Fewer than half of patients with ovarian cancer survive the disease after five years. The disease is hard to detect and often resists chemotherapy regimens. OnCuRNA uses micro RNAs as a novel treatment with high clinical potential.
The OnCuRNA method introduces siRNA (short-interfering or “silencing” RNA) via a nanohydrogel that has been synthesized through a process called emulsion precipitation polymerization. The nanohydrogel approach constitutes a major improvement over existing technology – it inhibits EGFR on the RNA level, which is different from existing ovarian cancer therapies that target EGFR at the protein level.
As of 2023, the next phase of development includes testing for toxicity and then refining the siRNA nanohydrogel approach.