Cascade Prodrug

Cascade Prodrug is a private, preclinical-stage biotech founded in 2016 and based in Seattle, WA. The company's core innovation is a hypoxia-activated prodrug platform that creates 'on-off switches' for cytotoxic agents, aiming to limit systemic toxicity and enhance drug delivery to resistant tumor regions. Its lead program, CPD100Li, is a novel N-oxide prodrug of vinblastine being developed as a standalone or combination therapy for a range of hypoxic solid tumors, including pancreatic, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancers. The company is positioned to address a significant unmet need in oncology by targeting the tumor microenvironment.

Proprietary hypoxia-activated switch technology that creates prodrugs stable in normal oxygenated tissue but which convert to active cytotoxic agents selectively within the low-oxygen (hypoxic) tumor microenvironment.

Cascade competes in the targeted prodrug and tumor microenvironment space. Competitors include other biotechs developing hypoxia-activated prodrugs (e.g., of tirapazamine derivatives, evofosfamide) and large pharma with targeted oncology platforms. Its differentiation lies in applying the switch specifically to the vinca alkaloid class, aiming for a improved therapeutic index.