Irena Webster

Incendia Therapeutics is discovering and developing novel anti-cancer medicines that are designed to reprogram the tumor microenvironment. Many cancers create immune exclusion barriers that prevent the immune system from attacking tumors. The Parthenon approach to overcoming these barriers is to modulate the interplay among cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. Our lead program, PRTH-101, is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction of Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) with collagen, thereby “punching holes” in the extracellular matrix barrier created by the tumor. With the extracellular matrix barrier breached, immune cells are able to infiltrate and attack the tumor. PRTH-101 is poised to enter Phase 1 clinical trials. PRTH-101 is followed by a pipeline of preclinical projects targeting orthogonal components of the tumor microenvironment that promote immune exclusion. Incendia combines its drug discovery and development efforts with a precision oncology approach to get the right medicines to the right patients. We use proprietary AI technology to digitally deconstruct the TME and develop unique insights to enable biomarker-driven patient selection strategies designed to guide clinical applications.