Cancer-Specific, Sugar/Lipid-Targeting Immunotherapies
VITRUVIAE is leading the way for precision immunotherapies that recognize, target, and destroy tumors while sparing normal cells.
Challenges
and Solution
Many cancer protein targets are also present on normal cells causing side effects that may limit effective treatment doses
Proteins mutate and eventually
become drug-resistant
Antigen escape occurs when cancer cells evade immune detection and attack by mutating or downregulating target proteins, effectively becoming “invisible” and rendering treatments ineffective
Cancer cells surround themselves by a protective shield that inactivates immune cells called the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment
Cancer stem cells are a slowly dividing subpopulation of cancer cells that contribute to the regeneration of tumors
About
Safety
Our technologies target sugars and lipids on cancer cells that are not found on healthy cells for safer immunotherapies.
Efficacy
Targeting sugars and lipids that neither down-regulate nor mutate, which are present on both tumor cells and their stem cells, and act as immunosuppressive signals in the tumor microenvironment, has the potential to deliver unparalleled benefits and improve patient survival outcomes.
Technology
At the core of our innovation is our proprietary dual sugar-lipid targeting platform, engineered to enhance cancer specificity and counteract antigen escape, a key driver of resistance and relapse. By targeting both sugars and lipids, we aim to achieve superior tumor selectivity and more effective treatment outcomes.
Flexibility
We have engineered our dual sugar/lipid targeting technology into the most advanced immunotherapy formats, including T-cell engagers that bring host T cells and targeted cancer cells into close proximity, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immune cells, and radioactive delivery platforms for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Our Pipeline
Vitruviae is prioritizing the development of VTRU200 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is an Orphan Disease responsible for approximately 11,000 adult deaths annually, with approximately 21,000 new cases reported. AML currently has a survival rate of less than 35% as reported by the National Cancer Institute and is therefore considered an urgent unmet medical need. AML is also a pediatric disease, with high rates of relapse and drug resistance. Vitruviae intends to pursue a pediatric AML indication concurrently with adult AML.
VTRU200 has demonstrated the ability to bind and eliminate AML tumors and leukemic stem cells, irrespective of genetic background, and has been shown to safely and effectively treat highly aggressive AML in animal models.
Our Team
Management
Mahiuddin Ahmed, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Dr. Ahmed is the President and CSO of VITRUVIAE, a privately held biotechnology company developing pan-agents for cancer, infectious diseases, and mental illness. He was formerly the SVP and CSO of Y-mAbs Therapeutics, a commercial and clinical stage public biotechnology company, and a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Ahmed is an expert in computational drug design and protein engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Structural Biology from Stony Brook University, followed by post-doctoral training in cancer immunology at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Sonia Sequeira, PhD
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Dr. Sequeira has expertise in drug development and regulatory strategy, leading over 120 IND applications across oncology, rare diseases, and neurology, and contributing to two FDA-approved therapies. She specializes in immunotherapies, gene therapies, vaccines, medical devices, theranostics, and clinical biomarkers and is an inventor on several patents focused on disease diagnosis and treatment. Dr Sequeira has served as a regulatory advisor for several startups and academic institutions, supporting IND development across diverse therapeutic areas. Before founding VITRUVIAE, Dr. Sequeira was VP of Translational Medicine and Early Clinical Trials at Y-mAbs Therapeutics and Head of IND Development at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She currently serves as Chief Translational and Regulatory Officer at pHLIP, Inc., as well as a Board Member of BioNJ, supporting its mission to advance New Jersey’s life sciences ecosystem. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Board of Directors
Mahiuddin Ahmed, PhD
Sonia Sequeira, PhD
Advisors
Information for Investors
Media and News
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