Drug Discovery
Global Network
Collaboration
Sphaera Pharma is a science backed pharmaceutical company leveraging its drug discovery and development capabilities to bring innovative products to patients. Our focus on the translational component and network with the scientific community allows us to cater to a wide variety of therapeutic area and identify science that is ready to be advanced.
Sphaera Pharma supports the discovery needs of its partners by providing medicinal chemistry, process and pharmacology support. Apart from designing & synthesis of small molecules and libraries, the scientists at Sphaera have a significant understanding of SAR to create small molecule portfolios around challenging scaffolds.
The prime objective of our team is to accelerate research and development by providing valuable scientific solutions with speed and quality. Our experience and learning from Sphaera’s own projects coupled with an integrated infrastructure, makes us an ideal partner for virtual and small biotech and academic spin outs.
SPR965 is an inhibitor of PI3K and mTOR C1/C2 and has demonstrated anti-tumorigenic activity in a variety of solid tumors. We sought to determine the effects of SPR965 on cell proliferation and tumor growth in human serous ovarian cancer cell lines and a transgenic mouse model of high grade serous ovarian cancer (K18-gT121+/−;p53fl/fl;Brca1fl/fl; KpB model) and identify the underlying mechanisms by which SPR965 inhibits cell and tumor growth. SPR965 showed marked anti-proliferative activity by causing cell cycle arrest and inducing cellular stress in ovarian cancer cells.
“Phosphatidyinsoitol-3-kinases (PI3Ks) play a key role in cell proliferation, growth, and survival. Dysregulated activity of PI3Ks has been implicated in poor prognosis and survival in patients with various solid as well as liquid tumors. There are four classes of PI3Ks reported in the literature. Ambiguity over the involvement and role of individual PI3K isoforms of class I PI3Ks in various types of tumors leads to an argument on isoforms specific over pan PI3K inhibitors for therapeutic efficacy against cancer.”
Paclitaxel is one of the most effective and widely used therapeutics against many cancers, including endometrial cancer (EC). Because of paclitaxel’s poor solubility, the drug is formulated in a mixture of ethanol and castor oil, Cremaphor®. Hypersensitivity reactions to Cremaphor® are encountered in 30%–45% of treated patients. SPR064 is a modified, highly soluble form of paclitaxel, which may allow for improved formulation and minimize hypersensitivity reactions. Thus, we assessed SPR064’s antitumorigenic potential in EC using cell lines and a genetically engineered mouse model (LKB1 f/fp53 f/f) of endometrioid EC
SPR064 (Sphaera) is a prodrug of paclitaxel that is not cremaphor-based, thereby decreasing the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. We sought to compare the antitumorigenic effects of SPR064 versus paclitaxel in ovarian cancer (OC) cell lines and a high-grade serous OC mouse model (K18-gT 121 ±; p53 fl/fl; Brca1 fl/fl; KpB)
Entrepreneurship is a mix of attitude, talent and perseverance. Successful new ventures are planned, created, and managed. Every venture demands three types of resources – time, people and capital. Conventional R&D model with the big pharma has relied on a blockbuster strategy – the need for a major breakthrough in drug discovery and development capable of delivering billion dollar revenues. The new age R&D model needs to be scalable with most of the costs being variable and only a small fixed cost and capacity structure. A successful entrepreneur on the international front needs creative out-of-the-box thinking, attention to compliance, with the understanding that the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship need to be disruptive.
