VIOLET Pharmaceuticals, a new spin-off from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has been launched with the goal of improving the effectiveness of immunotherapies for metastatic cancer.
The company addresses a major unmet medical need: metastatic tumours often evade immune detection by limiting the presentation of antigens on their surface, rendering current immunotherapies ineffective for many patients. VIOLET Pharmaceuticals aims to overcome this by forcing tumour cells to express the LCOR protein, a key regulator of tumour “visibility” that promotes neoantigen presentation and enables immune system recognition. By combining LCOR-based strategies with immunotherapy, the company seeks to open new treatment possibilities, particularly for metastatic breast cancer, which affects around 30% of breast cancer patients and remains incurable.
“By forcing tumour cells to express LCOR, we can make them visible to the immune system. By combining LCOR with immunotherapy, we open the door to treating metastatic breast cancer“
Toni Celià-Terrassa (Hospital del Mar Research Institute and CSO of VIOLET Pharmaceuticals)
The company is developing a first-in-class mRNA-based nanotherapy, inspired by the technology used in COVID-19 vaccines, to deliver LCOR messenger RNA directly to tumour cells. Preclinical studies have already shown complete responses in several experimental models of breast cancer, generating intellectual property in a field where no approved therapies currently exist.
VIOLET Pharmaceuticals has now opened a funding round to finalise optimisation of its clinical candidate and expand preclinical validation across multiple cancer types, with the aim of partnering with a pharmaceutical company between 2030 and 2032.
Based at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), the startup becomes the fourth spin-off supported by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute Barcelona, reinforcing its role as a leading centre for biomedical innovation and technology transfer.
