Tasca Therapeutics, the first startup created by new VC firm Cure Ventures, has raised $52 million to develop a new breed of cancer therapies.
Tasca is developing small molecule treatments that target and bind to specific pockets on the pockmarked surface of proteins. The hope is that the medicines can lock onto cancer-associated proteins and kill the cancer cells.
The startup — which is named after the Italian word for “pocket” — was created around research from scientists Xu Wu, David Fisher, and Duojia Pan, who have collectively studied cancer, protein signaling, and tissue growth. Cure venture partner Milenko Cicmil joined as co-founder and CEO of the startup, while Cure and Regeneron Ventures co-led the Series A round.
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