Emtora Biosciences is a San Antonio, TX company that has developed a novel form of the FDA-approved active ingredient rapamycin, called eRapa. Rapamycin has previously shown promise in treating gastrointestinal diseases and in cancer prevention, but is limited by toxicity. eRapa is targeted to the colon and is delivered at lower doses, resulting in lower toxicity. eRapa is being evaluated to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer in patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). FAP is a rare genetic disease that results in 100’s to 1000’s of benign polyps forming in the colon in the teen years, becoming colorectal cancer by age 39. It is an orphan indication. In mice, eRapa decre...

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Emtora Biosciences is a San Antonio, TX company that has developed a novel form of the FDA-approved active ingredient rapamycin, called eRapa. Rapamycin has previously shown promise in treating gastrointestinal diseases and in cancer prevention, but is limited by toxicity. eRapa is targeted to the colon and is delivered at lower doses, resulting in lower toxicity. eRapa is being evaluated to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer in patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). FAP is a rare genetic disease that results in 100’s to 1000’s of benign polyps forming in the colon in the teen years, becoming colorectal cancer by age 39. It is an orphan indication. In mice, eRapa decreased the occurrence of polyps based on dosage levels, with the highest dose resulting in no polyps. FAP is ideal for a cancer prevention drug because 100% of FAP patients will develop cancer without prophylactic surgical bowel resection, and no approved systemic therapy exists. Emtora proposes a Phase IIa study using eRapa to establish efficacy prior to a registrational trial. Dosing will be determined from Emtora’s current Phase Ib dose-escalation study in prostate cancer patients. Efficacy will be determined by the number and size of polyps via colonoscopy. Concurrently, Emtora will be developing a final eRapa dosage form. Emtora is partnering with Cancer Insight, a Texas-based contract research organization, MD Anderson, and The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

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