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ABOUT LAMASSU

Accelerating treatment, means saving more lives. At Lamassu, our team of dedicated physicians, engineers, and translational scientists, are driven by a passion to treat patients like family. Our goal is to speed the innovation process by bringing transformational treatments from concept to bedside faster than other companies. Lamassu’s patient-centric approach to research focuses on making advancements that address unmet needs with novel and targeted strategies, ensuring greater efficiency and shorter approval timeframes. With decades of experience developing leading medical treatments, we believe that it is not only the transformative power of science, but also hope that leads to healing.

THE LAMASSU METHOD

The approval of new medical treatments from the start of clinical trials to approval for the market can take on average over 10 years, according to most industry experts.  While the process of proving new drugs to be a safe and effective treatment is a vital one, the need to accomplish this more quickly is also clear, particularly for patients waiting for life saving treatments. 

Lamassu leverages innovative approaches to drive collaboration between academia and industry through translational research. Our talented team of physicians, engineers, and translational scientists have worked tirelessly to bring Lamassu to the forefront of the industry.

Our model is to identify novel therapeutics with high potential for clinical impact, having strong scientific rationale and preclinical efficacy data. We build the best scientific case, examining the mechanism, exploring additional models and indications, and identifying the most promising path forward for regulatory approval and clinical impact. Our funding has come from a combination of grants and private investors, to enable us to take advantage of non-dilutive funding where possible in order to deliver the best results for investors, without sacrificing speed or flexibility.

We capitalize on our expertise in early translational research to bring products to Phase I/II and partner with clinical and commercial development specialists to advance  clinical trials through the approval pipeline. Our innovative model ensures that early development efforts bring products to definitive clinical testing as efficiently as possible to benefit patients, while safeguarding safety and investments.

GABI HANNA, MD

CEO and Co-Founder

Entrepreneur with long experience in early drug development over 15 years with leadership positions and  successful service CRO company to serve small and mid size biotech in planning, designing and executing early drug development studies. Focusing on translational research, and the importance of tangible outcomes, Dr. Hanna co-founded one of the first academic units dedicated to advancing translational research through rigorous implementation of a comprehensive drug development program. Dr. Hanna is chairman of NC Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, Board member of Duke IRB. Board member and advisor for multiple companies; Kaio therapy, Clickmedix, American Remote Health, and Zoonco.

GREG PALMER, PHD

Chief Science Officer
and Co-Founder

Biomedical engineer with expertise in imaging, medical devices, and translational science. Academic career as a faculty member focused on translational science and quantitative assessments of tissue structure and function through intravital imaging and spectroscopy. Cofounder of Preclinical Pathfinder a private CRO, and co-inventor and scientist for Zenalux, a start-up dedicated to optical sensing in cancer. Experience in animal models, and focus on improving preclinical reproducibility and predictability. Leading and managing 10’s of preclinical drug and device development projects annually.

Rabi Hanna.png

RABI HANNA, MD

Chief Medical Officer and
Co-Founder

Chair of Pediatric Oncology at Cleveland Clinical, significant experience in drug development and clinical trials. Dr. Hanna doubled the size of his department in less than 8 years and made it a nationally recognized program, leading over 70 doctors and researchers. Dr. Hanna works closely with pharmaceutical companies and serves on the boards of several companies: Jazz pharmaceutical: Defitelio advisory board, Celgene: Luspatercept advisory board, Incyte : GVHD Advisory board, Novartis: Kymriah Advisory board, Atara Biotheraputics, and he is on the board of FACT Federation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapies.

PIPELINE

Transforming the way we treat metastatic cancer. 
Solving the critical unmet medical need of severe acute pancreatitis

SA53 MDM2
NEW HOPE FOR METASTATIC CANCER TREATMENT

P53 is a crucial tumor suppressor gene commonly mutated in human cancers. Its role in preventing tumor formation by inducing programmed cell death in response to cellular stress makes it a key target for cancer therapy. The project focuses on advancing SA53, a novel therapeutic that targets p53 wild-type sarcomas, malignant tumors of connective or non-epithelial tissue. SA53 has demonstrated remarkable potency, efficacy and safety in preclinical models, positioning it for an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission. This innovative approach offers promising prospects for addressing chemo-resistant cancer and presents a significant pathway for advancing cancer care. The proposed therapy aims to trigger the body’s natural defense mechanism, p53 by blocking MDM2, a protein that deactivates p53 and contributes to treatment resistance. The clinical trial will focus on achieving objectives such as determining a safe dosage for future trials, understanding pharmacokinetic profiles, and assessing early signs of effectiveness in treating soft tissue sarcomas with wild-type p53. The main goal is to advance SA53 through trials to offer a potential new and effective treatment option for patients. SA53 MDM2 is currently preparing for the commencement of Phase 1 trails in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic​

RABI-767
ADVANCING PANCREATITIS TREATMENT

Acute pancreatitis is a leading cause of emergency department visits and gastrointestinal admissions in the United States. For patients suffering from this condition, this results in many hospitalizations, ineffective medications, long term complications, and lost time with their families and at work. Acute pancreatitis also results in more than 330,000 hospital admissions per year in the U.S., and the death of approximately five percent of patients suffering from the disease. Pancreatitis incidence is also on the rise, as it is more common in obese patients with gallstones, a condition that is increasing worldwide.

Lamassu’s lead candidate is a novel small molecule therapy for acute pancreatitis. It was developed at Mayo Clinic by leading scientists, and has profound preclinical efficacy to completely mitigate mortality and morbidity associated with severe acute pancreatitis. Lamassu is currently focused on continued development of this compound through safety testing in preparation for definitive clinical trials with the ultimate goal of saving the lives of patients afflicted with this disease.

 

Phase 1 trials are planned for 2021.

Successful biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies require a comprehensive approach to identifying and advancing solutions to unmet needs in the healthcare market. Lamassu is privileged to have built strong relationships with some of the most accomplished and iconic brands and institutions in the biotech.  Additionally, Lamassu has entered into a strategic alliance with Arrivo BioVentures, LLC to conduct human clinical studies following a successful IND filing for RABI-767. Arrivo brings years of pharmaceutical development experience, and an extensive track record of success in pharma startups. They have raised a $49M fund to develop several clinical ready assets.


RECENT NEWS

POSSIBLE NEW HOPE FOR METASTATIC CANCER PATIENTS: FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION GRANTS APPROVAL FOR CLINICAL TRIALS FOR LAMASSU'S GROUNDBREAKING CANCER TREATMENT PROTOCOL

More hope for successfully combating some of the deadliest cancers. Lamassu Biotech is proud to announce its pioneering effort to combat locally advanced metastatic p53 wild-type tumors has earned investigational new drug application (IND) approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed in initiate Phase 1/2a clinical trials. 

LAMASSU AWARDED NIH GRANT FOR BREAKTHROUGH CANCER TREATMENT

Lamassu Bio Inc., a cutting-edge biotech company dedicated to innovative cancer therapies, has been awarded a grant from the  National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute ( NCI) for the development of their groundbreaking treatment for p53 wild-type sarcomas. 

GABI HANNA SHARES THOUGHTS WITH STARTUP.INFO

CEO Gabi Hanna reflects on his career and work in building Lamassu with Startup.info

LAMASSU PHARMA ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PANCREATITIS TREATMENT THAT ADVANCES UNDERSTANDING OF FATTY ACIDS' ROLE IN COVID-19

The importance of Lamassu's research and therapeutic is highlighted by a new Mayo Clinic study on the role of unsaturated fats in determining the severity of acute pancreatitis. This was recently released as a high impact publication in Science Advances. The researchers found that the rapid breakdown of unsaturated fats that are stored in a patient's body, can worsen the course of severe acute pancreatitis, increasing toxicity, organ failure, and the risk of death.

AUGUST 5, 2020

Lamassu Pharma has received $1.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This will be used for further development of its lead therapeutic compound, RABI-767, a novel small molecule lipase inhibitor licensed from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

JULY 14, 2020

Lamassu Pharma LLC, a privately held Biotech, announced today it has received $1.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This will be used for further development of its lead therapeutic compound, RABI-767, a novel small molecule lipase inhibitor licensed from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Lamassu is developing RABI-767 to fill a critical, unmet clinical need for a treatment for acute pancreatitis (AP).

JULY 14, 2020

Lamassu Pharma LLC, of Durham, N.C., received a $1.5 million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the NIH, which the company plans to use for the development of RABI-767, a small-molecule lipase inhibitor, as a treatment for acute pancreatitis.

JULY 14, 2020

Lamassu's proposed treatment is designed to mitigate the systemic toxicity and organ failure associated with acute pancreatitis that causes lengthy hospitalization, organ failure, and death, thus saving both lives and healthcare system resources. Funding from the NIH will enable Lamassu to further its translational research, to bring RABI-767 to human trials, and to partner with clinical and commercial development partners.

MAY 5, 2020

Lamassu Pharma, a biotech startup that is developing small molecule therapeutics to treat acute pancreatitis, has found plenty of investors despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Durham firm states in an SEC filing that it has raised nearly $2.7 million. Nineteen investors are backing the company with a minimum investment of $50,000. Lamassu expects to raise another $200,000 in a round of equity financing with a near-$3 million target.

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory"

George S. Patton

GET IN TOUCH

2530 Meridian Pkwy
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27713

1-919-667-8571

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