OncoNano

Developing a new class of pH-activated compounds that digitalize and exploit the variability of pH in disease

About

OncoNano Medicine is developing a new class of pH-activated compounds that digitalize and exploit the variability of pH in disease. pH variability is a proven, simple and effective identifier of diseased tissue providing a foundation for the development of a broad range of highly targeted therapeutics and imaging agents. Our lead program, ONM-100, targets tumor acidosis to accurately differentiate cancer from healthy tissue for use in surgery.

pH is an indicator for several diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s and metabolic disorders. By targeting pH, a clear delineation between diseased and healthy tissue can be digitalized to develop a broad range of targeted applications. OncoNano's platform is an ultra-pH-sensitive drug delivery vehicle (micelle) that has a digital ON-OFF response to pH changes: it switches ON in the more acidic environment of cells and stays OFF in normal cells. Conjugating these micelles with fluorescent probes provides sharp diagnostic or intraoperative tumor imaging at low doses. At high doses, the same micelles serve to alter the metabolism pathways and buffer the lysosomal pH in cancer cells, providing therapeutic benefit.