T3 Pharmaceuticals

Presented by Simon Ittig Nominated by Universität Basel, Switzerland   T3 Pharmaceuticals is a preclinical biopharmaceutical company working to advance next-generation therapies for cancer patients. The team has developed an efficient protein delivery technology that is based on the use of live bacteria. While the technology has diverse applications in research, T3 Pharma has developed the system to serve as a novel and specific therapeutic to treat solid tumours.  Despite significant advances in cancer therapies in recent years, several solid cancer types remain difficult to treat, and current approaches show only moderate efficacy. Today’s main challenge in oncology is to develop potent targeted treatments which only impact the tumours. T3 Pharma’s engineered bacteria have the capacity to grow specifically in solid tumours. There, they serve as living factories for therapeutic proteins which are produced and delivered directly into tumour cells by a nanoscale injection needle on the bacterial surface.  With this approach, T3 Pharma is overcoming major hurdles to the successful treatment of solid tumours. Due to its platform character, the proprietary technology can be tailored to different cancer indications, having the potential to help patients with difficult-to-treat cancer types where other therapies have failed so far. The first clinical studies in humans are anticipated for early 2020.