Unleash’s lead product, UIO-512, is a conditionally replicative oncolytic adenovirus.

UIO-512’s viral replication is triggered by a triple hybrid promoter that combines the stroma-associated SPARC gene promoter and motifs responsive to tumor microenvironment conditions such as inflammation and hypoxia

The stroma, composed by non-malignant cancer-associated altered fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells, provides nutrients, structure and helps the malignant cells to grow and disseminate

Cancer-associated stroma cells may account for up to 90% of the tumor mass and are not being specifically targeted by any other current therapies

Directly targeting the stroma cells is a significant paradigm shift over existing cancer treatments

Our lead product , UIO-512, is a patent-protected oncolytic virus designed to target both malignant cells and tumor-associated stroma cells

Management

Daniel Katzman – CEO

Daniel has 20+ years of experience in biotech and drug development.
He is a serial entrepreneur with experience in fund-raising, business development and clinical development both in Israel and the USA. Daniel is the Founder and President of NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company based in Boston and a Venture Partner Biotechnology in Axia Ventures Company Builder.

David T. Curiel, M.D., Ph.D. – Founder and CSO

David is a top scientific leader with broad experience in onclolytic virus: research and development as well as founding and managing biotech start-ups.
He is the Director of the Cancer Biology Division and Director of the Biologics Therapeutics – Washington University School of Medicine.
David has published numerous peer reviewed papers en prestigous scientific publication magazines.
Previoulsy Dr. Curiel was the Chief Scientific Officer & founder de VectorLogics, a company developing oncolytic virus therapies. Vectorlogics merged with DNATrix in 2012.

Ariel Muslera – CFO

Board

Daniel Katzman – CEO

Daniel has 20+ years of experience in biotech and drug development.
He is a serial entrepreneur with experience in fund-raising, business development and clinical development both in Israel and the USA. Daniel is the Founder and President of NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company based in Boston and a Venture Partner Biotechnology in Axia Ventures Company Builder.

Ariel Muslera – CFO

Lisandro Bril – Director

Lisandro has 40 years of professional experience in Strategy (Booz Allen), Executive Search (Spencer Stuart), Government and 20+ years in Venture Capital in over 20 South American technology companies, Mercado Libre (MELI), Despegar, Neoris and Keclon (AgTech), Big Data (BigData) and Zauber, among others
He is the Founder & Managing Partner de AxiaVentures Firm, Managing Partner Member of the Investment Committee at AltaVentures and leads AxVentures –Pymar Fund.

Charlie Bolten – Director

Advisors

Osvaldo Podhajcer, Ph.D. – Lead Scientific Advisor

Osvaldo has 30+ years of experience in research and academia.
He is the Chief, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy (Instituto Leloir), Senior Researcher (National Council for Scientific and Technological Research-CONICET), Argentina, Director of the Argentinian Consortium of Genomic Technology.
Osvaldo holds a BSc and MSc from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, he is a Dr. in Biology (Universidad de Buenos Aires) and Postdoc (from Institute of Genetics , Cellular and Molecular Biology, Strasbourg, France).
Osvaldo is the inventor of UIO-512.

Ronald D. Alvarez, MD – SAB Advisor

Ronald is Professor and Director, Gynecologic Oncology, UAB.
He has become a leading expert in the field of clinical gene therapy as it relates to gynecologic malignancy. He has particular expertise in the development of clinical trials in gene therapy.
In addition to gene therapy, Dr. Alvarez’s experience includes clinical trials in the area of chemotherapy, radioimmunotherapy, chemoprevention, and co-operative group trials for gynecologic malignancies. Past President Society for Gynecologic Oncology.

Marina Scuseria – Advisor

Marina has 15+ years of experience in Biotech.
She is a strategist with global experience in leading Pharma/Biotech corporations with extensive experience in corporate strategy, strategic planning, portfolio management, business development and global marketing in USA, Europe and Latin America.
Marina is a Venture Partner Biotechnology in Axia Ventures Company Builder.

Publications

Therapeutic improvement of a stroma-targeted CRAd by incorporating motives responsive to melanoma microenvironment
Viale DL, Cafferata E, Gould D, Chernajovsky, Y, Curiel D, Podhajcer O, Lopez MV.
Journal Investigative Dermatology (19 April 2013) | doi:10.1038/jid.2013.191

A Tumor-stroma Targeted Oncolytic Adenovirus Replicated in Human Ovary Cancer Samples and Inhibited Growth of Disseminated Solid Tumors in Mice
Lopez MV, Rivera AA, Viale DL, Benedetti L, Cuneo N, Kimball KJ, Wang M, Douglas JT, Zhu ZB, Bravo AI, Gidekel M, Alvarez RD, Curiel DT, Podhajcer OL.
Mol Ther. 2012 Dec;20(12):2222-33.

Tumor Associated Stromal Cells Play a Critical Role on the Outcome of the Oncolytic Efficacy of Conditionally Replicative Adenoviruses
Lopez MV, Viale DL, Cafferata EG, Bravo AI, Carbone C, Gould D, Chernajovsky Y, Podhajcer OL.
PLOS One 2009, 4(4):e5119

Expression of a suicidal gene under control of the human secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) promoter in tumor or stromal cells led to the inhibition of tumor cell growth
Lopez MV, Blanco P, Viale DL, Cafferata EG, Carbone C, Gould D, Chernajovsky Y, Podhajcer OL.
Mol Cancer Ther 2006 Oct;5(10):2503-11

Investors