Arctic Pharma AS
Arctic Pharma AS is committed to developing innovative treatment for glycolytic cancers
Arctic Pharma AS is a privately held company founded in 2012. We are committed to developing innovative anti-cancer drugs by exploiting the “sweet tooth” of cancer cells and their peculiar metabolic features. We directly target key enzymes that are upregulated in cancer cell metabolism with inhibitors designed at Arctic Pharma. This will enable us to develop new pharmaceuticals to combat cancer that exhibit fewer side effects. Our mission is to make Arctic Pharma a leader in designing cancer therapies that are environmentally friendly and have few side effects.
In contrast to normal cells, many cancer cells exhibit high rates of glucose uptake and are hallmarked by high glycolysis rates. The produced pyruvate is not channeled into oxidative phosphorylation but is fermented to lactate, even in presence of sufficient amounts of oxygen. This phenomenon is known as the Warburg effect or aerobic glycolysis
We have performed a modern drug discovery project searching for potent and novel inhibitors of the Warburg effect. This has resulted in approximately 100 promising hit compounds. Pilot studies have demonstrated that several of our compounds are potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth.
Arctic Pharma takes advantage of our broad experience in early drug discovery and utilizes modern technology combined with highly skilled personnel. This includes enzyme assay development, X-ray crystallography, computer-assisted drug design and advanced medicinal chemistry, as well as cell-based assays and biophysical evaluation of the drug candidates.