Accent Therapeutics has been launched with $40m Series A financing for precision cancer treatments targeting RNA-modifying proteins.

The investment has been provided by venture capital firm The Column Group, biotech venture capital company Atlas Venture and EcoR1 Capital, a fundamental biotechnology-focused investment advisory firm.

Accent Therapeutics has established platform strategy to lead development of new precision therapies in the field of epitranscriptomics.

The company’s founders include Howard Chang of Stanford University, Chuan He of the University of Chicago and Robert Copeland, president and chief scientific officer of Accent Therapeutics.

Copeland said: “Epitranscriptomics opens a rich new target space, including RMPs that are associated with specific cancers, many with poor patient prognoses.

“We plan to treat patients by precisely targeting cancers that are uniquely dependent on these specific RMPs.”

The team of Accent includes seasoned drug developers, with expertise in translating novel science into new therapies. A multi-parametric approach is being applied by the team to lead optimization to quickly create clinic-ready molecules as investigational new drugs.

They have published authoritative review of RNA-modifying proteins as anticancer drug targets in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.

Atlas Venture partner and Accent Therapeutics Board of Directors' member Jason Rhodes said “The Accent team is anchored by experienced drug developers with a track record of success in the creation of innovative precision therapies. They are well-suited to undertake the development of effective new therapies targeting RMPs.”

Accent Therapeutics targets cancer-linked RNA-modifying proteins with precision therapies to translate extraordinary science into life-changing therapies for patients.

The company is integrating cutting-edge approaches for targeting identification with a chemical biology platform and traditional drug discovery approaches.

The approach allows Accent to find and prioritize the most critical RMP targets for particular human cancer indications.

It also enables the company to match the targets with small molecule inhibitors that serve as originating points for its drug optimization efforts.