Houston-based Allterum Therapeutics is developing a novel drug to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common childhood cancer though it can also occur in adults. Current treatments are effective for many patients, although the treatment can take years and have severe side effects. However, there is still a major unmet medical need since mortality is high for patients who recur and who lack effective options. Our drug is a monoclonal antibody that targets and kills ALL cancer cells without the broader side-effects typically observed with conventional chemotherapies. We will initially focus on treating patients who have failed other treatments with the goal of getting the...

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Houston-based Allterum Therapeutics is developing a novel drug to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common childhood cancer though it can also occur in adults. Current treatments are effective for many patients, although the treatment can take years and have severe side effects. However, there is still a major unmet medical need since mortality is high for patients who recur and who lack effective options. Our drug is a monoclonal antibody that targets and kills ALL cancer cells without the broader side-effects typically observed with conventional chemotherapies. We will initially focus on treating patients who have failed other treatments with the goal of getting them to a potentially curative stem-cell transplant. Over time, we will expand our drug's use, adding it to the initial treatments that patients receive, to increase the treatment's effectiveness and potentially decrease its toxicity. Our CPRIT Seed Grant allowed us to manufacture pharma-grade drug, do initial safety tests in animals, and get feedback from FDA on our planned clinical trial. This grant will allow us to enter clinical testing and, if successful, demonstrate that our drug can help patients with ALL. Our program fits well with CPRIT's product development mission: funding a novel therapeutic program that addresses a major unmet medical need, that is being developed by an early-stage Texas-based company that will also grow the pool of experienced drug developers in Houston.

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