Sapience is developing a novel peptide, beta-catenin antagonist, to treat colorectal cancer.

Avi Strauss, a recent Katz School biotech graduate, has performed a detailed market analysis on a new drug therapy for colorectal cancer. The analysis recommended that Sapience Therapeutics, a New York-based biotech company, develop a molecule called a novel beta-catenin antagonist for treatment of the cancer. Beta-catenin is part of the Wnt signaling pathway, which promotes tumor growth and suppresses the immune system. In addition to colorectal cancer, Strauss reviewed four other types of cancer that have high mortality rates and resist conventional therapies: acute lymphocytic leukemia, breast cancer, melanoma, and multiple myeloma. He found that colorectal cancer patients would be a prime population for Sapience’s novel peptide because of the high incidence of a mutation in the Wnt signaling pathway that results in its over-activation and leads to the formation of cancer. “Colorectal cancer presents the highest upside according to the revenue projection model,” said Strauss, who is a healthcare consultant for the Marwood Group, “and presents the largest potential available population among the five cancer types studied.”

Avi Strauss graduated from the Katz School's biotechnology program in December.

Sapience’s therapeutic approach, according to Dr. Kappel, is to target protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that seem necessary to the survival of cancer or that inhibit the immune system’s response to cancerous tumors. The interactions targeted by Sapience are considered “undruggable” due to the intracellular location of the PPIs, making them difficult to treat with small-molecule drugs such as chemotherapies that are incapable of disrupting PPIs, and biologic-based drugs like monoclonal antibodies that are too big to enter cells. “Peptides combine the best properties of small and large molecules,” said Dr. Kappel, “and present an opportunity to disrupt intracellular PPIs and to reduce mortality in cancer patients and possibly in other diseases.” Robert Friedman, an adjunct professor in the biotechnology program and Strauss’s advisor, said that Strauss’s presentation demonstrates the strength of the “molecule-to-market nature” of the  Katz School’s biotechnology program and its emphasis on understanding the science, and translating it into practical and actionable decisions. “Avi’s understanding of the science, clinical development and the market were all critical to successfully completing the project,” he said. “The piece de resistance of his elegant work is undoubtedly the market forecast model that the client will incorporate in its corporate planning process for years to come.” The Katz School of Science and Health is an academic powerhouse in the heart of New York City. It offers master's programs in five sectors that are redefining the economy: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Biotech and Health, Digital Media, and Fintech. In the lab, classroom and clinic, we lead with kindness, integrity, generosity and a commitment to making the world safer, smarter and healthier.