Last week, on 13 October 2026, we met at Nagoya University to discuss how to move a new cancer target from discovery toward patients.
I was joined by Prof. Gunther Wennemuth of the University of Duisburg-Essen. We met Prof. Mitsuro Kanda of Nagoya University Hospital, who discovered NPTXR as a novel tumor marker. Also at the table were Dr. Nao Takano, Director for Translational Research at Nagoya University, and Mayumi Matsuo, Patent Attorney at Nagoya University. Keiji Fujito of TechManage helped bring the group together.
Why NPTXR matters
Prof. Kanda’s discovery of NPTXR as a tumor-associated marker opens a promising route to more selective cancer therapies. A good target has to be present on tumor cells and largely absent from healthy tissue. That difference is what makes it possible to design treatments that hit the cancer while sparing normal organs.
What we presented
Prof. Wennemuth and I shared our latest data with the Nagoya team:
- Target expression: FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) analysis showed the target (mRNA) is present in tumor tissue and absent in normal tissue.
- Efficacy: In a pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) study in nude mice, we saw complete tumor eradication.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest cancers to treat, with few options and poor outcomes. Results like these are early and preclinical, but they are the kind of evidence that justifies moving ahead.
Why the meeting was valuable
The discussion was open and constructive. It also showed what translational medicine needs: clinical insight from the hospital, scientific rigor from academic research, and intellectual property and technology-transfer expertise from the university. Industry perspective and a strong network are needed as well. Having Prof. Kanda, Dr. Takano, and Ms. Matsuo at the same table meant we could talk about science, development path, and IP together.
Next steps
We will build on this momentum with further validation work and closer collaboration between the Universities of Nagoya & Duisburg-Essen, and Ymmunobio. The goal is to turn a promising discovery into a therapy for patients with pancreatic cancer and potentially other tumors (presence up to 17! solid tumors express NPTXR).
My thanks to Prof. Kanda, Dr. Takano, and Ms. Matsuo for their hospitality and engagement. I’m also grateful to Keiji Fujito of TechManage for making the visit possible, and to Prof. Wennemuth for his continued partnership.
Dr. Peter Schiemann, CEO Ymmunobio