OUR RESEARCH MAKES A DIFFERENCE

ORELLANINE

Oncorena is developing a potentially curative therapy for metastatic renal cancer based on orellanine, a toxin from the Cortinarius family of mushrooms. Accidental intake of such mushrooms is well known to cause an acute renal failure, but no other toxic effects in other organs.

ONC175 – a first-in-class drug candidate

Pioneering preclinical research findings by the founders of Oncorena have shown that orellanine has a powerful killing effect on human metastatic kidney cancer in different experimental set ups. This discovery has ignited efforts to develop ONC175 (synthetic orellanine) into a first-in-class drug that potentially may revolutionize the treatment of metastatic renal cancer.

ONC175 (orellanine) initially will be examined in patients with metastatic renal cancer and dialysis due to chronic kidney disease. These patients have no remaining kidney function and need treatment of the metastatic disease. Thus, there is a high benefit-risk ratio as the patients may have therapeutic anti-tumor benefit without the risk of losing their renal function. If the curative potential is confirmed in these patients, the logical next step would be to expand into patients with metastatic renal cancer with remaining kidney function. This larger patient population would benefit from strategies to protect the healthy renal tissue. Currently, Oncorena are exploring such possibilities in collaboration with partners.