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Erasca Unveils First Clinical Candidates, Aims To Create A MAPK Clamp

SHP2, ERK Inhibitors Disclosed After Two Years, $300m In Funding

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Former Ignyta CEO’s well-funded Erasca obtained its first clinical-stage precision oncology candidates from NiKang and Asana, eyeing a first-in-class approach to RAS/MAPK-driven cancers.

staircase pathway in the beautiful forest
Erasca's first disclosed programs aim to shut down the RAS/MAPK pathway • Source: Shutterstock

Erasca Inc. launched at the end of 2018 with $42m, a high-profile CEO and undisclosed precision oncology programs with the ambitious goal of “erasing cancer.” Even after raising another $200m in April of last year, the company founded and helmed by Jonathan Lim – who was heading up Ignyta, Inc. when Roche Holding AG agreed to buy it in 2017 for $1.7bn – declined to describe its cancer drug development programs. But now that Erasca has initiated its first clinical trial, the company is ready to unveil its first two drug candidates.

The San Diego-based company has accomplished a lot during the two years since its series A venture capital round. Including the series B mega-round last year, it has raised $300m to date and used its internal discovery platform to develop multiple cancer drug candidates. (Also see "Finance Watch: Erasca Raises $200m As VC Mega-Rounds Continue" - Scrip, 1 May, 2020

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