Cytochroma (Markham, ON)
CMDF Investment: $3,152,000 
Private Company
Focus:Skin Diseases  Cancer  
Company Website

Cytochroma is engaged in the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs focused on treating skin disorders and cancer by targeting a family of proteins termed cytochrome P450s. Cytochroma is the only company with an exclusive focus on discovering and developing drugs whose mechanism of action is based on regulating cytochrome P450 activity. The company’s new chemical entities are closely related to known drugs yet provide significant improvements over existing therapies with regard to efficacy and side-effect profile. Cytochroma believes that its approach minimizes the risk of failure in clinical development. The Company’s initial drug products will control the intracellular levels of retinoic acid (the biologically active metabolite of vitamin A) and calcitriol (the biologically active metabolite of vitamin D); respectively. These drugs may be used on their own or in combination with existing drugs. Cytochroma has shown that its proprietary molecular targets can be used to discover drugs with the potential to treat a large variety of diseases which in addition to skin disorders and cancer may include inflammatory disorders; osteoporosis; and neurological disorders. These markets represent areas of major unmet medical need and as a result provide multi-billion dollar opportunities. Cytochroma has identified a small-library of proprietary vitamin D analogs that inhibit the activity of CYP24; a cytochrome P450 enzyme involved in the breakdown of calcitriol. One analog; CTA018 will enter IND-enabling preclinical development for mild to moderate psoriasis by early 2004. Other compounds have been assessed in cell culture and animal models of cancer and are expected to enter IND-enabling preclinical development for oncology indications (such as prostate cancer) by early 2005. The market opportunity for mild to moderate psoriasis is in excess of US$1.6 billion while that for prostate cancer is in excess of US$2.4 billion. Cytochroma and its founders discovered a cytochrome P450 gene family termed CYP26 that is involved in the breakdown of retinoic acid. The Company has been collaborating with Allergan since 1999 in validating two members of this enzyme family; CYP26A and CYP26B; as drug targets for dermatology and oncology and identifying specific and potent small-molecule inhibitors thereof. This collaboration has advanced to the identification and characterization of several new chemical entities with potential clinical value. One such compound; CTAR398 has demonstrated attractive properties in animal models and is poised to enter IND-enabling preclinical development for dermatological indications; by early 2004.