San Diego Startup's 'Molecular Glue' Begins Cancer Trial

Imagine a medicine that teaches cancer to eliminate itself instead of attacking your whole body. That future just got closer as San Diego's Neomorph begins testing its "molecular glue" on kidney cancer patients.

The company launched its first clinical trial this month, treating a patient with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common kidney cancer. In San Diego County alone, more than 500 people receive this diagnosis every year.

Here's what makes this different from traditional treatments. Chemotherapy damages healthy and cancerous cells alike, causing difficult side effects. Neomorph's molecular glue works more like a biological bouncer, labeling harmful proteins as "trash" so the body's natural cleanup crew disposes of them.

"It's the dream of every discovery scientist to have a molecule that progresses into the clinic," said Dr. Phil Chamberlain, Neomorph's CEO and founder. He chose kidney cancer for the first trial because most patients share a particular genetic mutation, making it both a common disease and a precision medicine opportunity.

The science behind molecular glue is elegant. Every second, hundreds of thousands of proteins interact in your body, some binding together while others pass by. Neomorph's glue controls these interactions, connecting problem proteins to enzymes that trigger their destruction.

Why This Inspires

Big Pharma recognized the potential before the first patient even enrolled. Since Neomorph's founding in 2020, pharmaceutical giants have signed nearly $5 billion worth of deals. AbbVie, Novo Nordisk, and Biogen each committed over $1 billion to advance this technology.

"Protein degraders represent a groundbreaking advancement in the field of drug discovery," said Steven Elmore, vice president at AbbVie. The enthusiasm extends beyond Neomorph's partners. Pfizer recently backed a Boston competitor with $120 million, signaling that molecular glues could revolutionize cancer treatment.

The technology's promise extends far beyond kidney cancer. Chamberlain plans to expand research into other solid tumors, though he hasn't specified which cancers come next.

While the trial progresses, Neomorph is growing its San Diego team from 80 employees, hiring in both development and discovery. "It's a world-famous biotech hub," Chamberlain said. "It's really the chance to work in a beautiful location but also not compromise your career."

Results from the first trial should arrive within the year, marking a crucial test of whether molecular glue lives up to its billion-dollar promise and offers new hope for cancer patients everywhere.