Glioblastoma Fight Accelerates: Beactica and KU Leuven Secure €2.5M for Orphan Drug BEA-17
February 23, 2026, 3:38 pm
Location: Belgium, Flemish Region, Leuven
Employees: 10001+
Founded date: 1425
Total raised: $30M
Beactica Therapeutics and KU Leuven secured a substantial €2.5 million EIC grant. This vital funding accelerates the development of orphan drug BEA-17. BEA-17 is a groundbreaking, first-in-class precision immune therapy targeting glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain tumor. The 30-month GLIOBREAK project will drive BEA-17 through crucial IND-enabling studies. It aims for regulatory submission to the FDA or EMA. This prepares the therapy for first-in-human clinical trials. The project represents a significant advancement in immuno-epigenetic approaches for glioblastoma. Patients face devastating outcomes, urgently needing effective new therapeutic options. This competitive grant validates Beactica's innovative strategy and propels precision medicine closer to those suffering from this devastating disease.
A major boost arrived for glioblastoma research. Beactica Therapeutics AB, a Swedish precision medicine company, and KU Leuven secured €2.5 million. The European Innovation Council (EIC) provided this critical grant. The funding targets BEA-17. This orphan drug represents a new approach to glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. The project, named GLIOBREAK, advances BEA-17 toward clinical readiness.
The EIC Transition grant is highly competitive. It falls under the Horizon Europe program. Only 40 proposals out of 611 submissions received funding. Beactica and KU Leuven’s joint effort stood out. The grant covers 100% of project costs. It provides non-dilutive funding, protecting company shareholders. This financial security empowers accelerated development.
GLIOBREAK is a 30-month initiative. It builds on previous EU-financed work from the GLIOMATCH project. Beactica will lead and coordinate GLIOBREAK. The project’s primary objective is clear: propel BEA-17 from laboratory validation to early clinical readiness. This means completing IND-enabling studies. It also includes preparing regulatory applications. These applications target either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Success here positions BEA-17 for first-in-human clinical trials. This marks a critical step for glioblastoma patients.
BEA-17 is a first-in-class therapy. It is a small-molecule targeted degrader. Its target: the epigenetic protein complex LSD1–CoREST. This mechanism is novel. It aims to restore immune activity within the tumor microenvironment. BEA-17 achieves this by enhancing antigen presentation. It also induces viral mimicry. Furthermore, it reprograms macrophages toward a pro-inflammatory state. These actions collectively boost the body's natural defenses against the glioblastoma brain tumor.
Preclinical data supports BEA-17’s potential. Studies in syngeneic animal models of cancer demonstrated promising results. The candidate drug potentiated immune-modulating treatments. This included anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in colon cancer models. It also showed synergy with standard-of-care treatments in glioblastoma. Temozolomide and radiation therapy saw enhanced effects. Pharmacokinetic studies are also encouraging. BEA-17 exhibits good blood-brain barrier penetration. This is crucial for a brain tumor therapy. Oral availability further simplifies its administration. The FDA recognizes BEA-17’s importance. They granted it Orphan Drug Designation for glioblastoma treatment. Beactica Therapeutics wholly owns this promising compound.
Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a formidable foe. It is the most common and aggressive brain tumor. Approximately 35,000 individuals in the U.S. and Europe receive a glioblastoma diagnosis each year. The prognosis is dire. Median overall survival is a mere 15 months. The five-year overall survival rate stands at only 5%. Current treatments offer limited efficacy. An urgent need exists for new, effective therapeutic options. BEA-17 represents a vital hope in this landscape of unmet medical need.
The collaboration between Beactica and KU Leuven is key. Beactica, a privately held precision medicine company, brings its Eclipsor™ platform expertise. This platform enables efficient development of allosteric modulators and targeted protein degraders. Beactica focuses on advancing programs to clinical proof of concept. KU Leuven contributes leading glioblastoma research. Three research teams are involved. Professor Frederik De Smet, Professor An Coosemans, and Professor Thierry Voet lead these efforts.
Professor De Smet’s team focuses on brain tumor biology. They conduct spatial single-cell profiling of glioblastoma patient samples. This research translates patient-derived insights into clinically relevant hypotheses. All single-cell and spatial profiling occurs within the KU Leuven Institute for Single-cell Omics (LISCO). Professor Voet provides advanced single-cell technology expertise here. Professor Coosemans’ team then functionally tests molecular insights. They utilize state-of-the-art glioblastoma mouse models. They also employ drug profiling platforms. This provides a critical translational step towards clinical application. This integrated approach, blending patient data, single-cell technologies, and preclinical validation, establishes a robust pipeline for future glioblastoma clinical testing.
The EIC grant validates this immuno-epigenetic approach. It underscores the potential of BEA-17. This funding positions BEA-17 at the forefront of precision medicine for glioblastoma. It accelerates bringing a first-in-class LSD1–CoREST degrader closer to patients. This marks a significant milestone in the ongoing fight against aggressive brain cancer. The partnership aims to deliver new options where patients currently have few. The path to clinical trials is now clearer.
A major boost arrived for glioblastoma research. Beactica Therapeutics AB, a Swedish precision medicine company, and KU Leuven secured €2.5 million. The European Innovation Council (EIC) provided this critical grant. The funding targets BEA-17. This orphan drug represents a new approach to glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. The project, named GLIOBREAK, advances BEA-17 toward clinical readiness.
The EIC Transition grant is highly competitive. It falls under the Horizon Europe program. Only 40 proposals out of 611 submissions received funding. Beactica and KU Leuven’s joint effort stood out. The grant covers 100% of project costs. It provides non-dilutive funding, protecting company shareholders. This financial security empowers accelerated development.
GLIOBREAK is a 30-month initiative. It builds on previous EU-financed work from the GLIOMATCH project. Beactica will lead and coordinate GLIOBREAK. The project’s primary objective is clear: propel BEA-17 from laboratory validation to early clinical readiness. This means completing IND-enabling studies. It also includes preparing regulatory applications. These applications target either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Success here positions BEA-17 for first-in-human clinical trials. This marks a critical step for glioblastoma patients.
BEA-17 is a first-in-class therapy. It is a small-molecule targeted degrader. Its target: the epigenetic protein complex LSD1–CoREST. This mechanism is novel. It aims to restore immune activity within the tumor microenvironment. BEA-17 achieves this by enhancing antigen presentation. It also induces viral mimicry. Furthermore, it reprograms macrophages toward a pro-inflammatory state. These actions collectively boost the body's natural defenses against the glioblastoma brain tumor.
Preclinical data supports BEA-17’s potential. Studies in syngeneic animal models of cancer demonstrated promising results. The candidate drug potentiated immune-modulating treatments. This included anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in colon cancer models. It also showed synergy with standard-of-care treatments in glioblastoma. Temozolomide and radiation therapy saw enhanced effects. Pharmacokinetic studies are also encouraging. BEA-17 exhibits good blood-brain barrier penetration. This is crucial for a brain tumor therapy. Oral availability further simplifies its administration. The FDA recognizes BEA-17’s importance. They granted it Orphan Drug Designation for glioblastoma treatment. Beactica Therapeutics wholly owns this promising compound.
Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a formidable foe. It is the most common and aggressive brain tumor. Approximately 35,000 individuals in the U.S. and Europe receive a glioblastoma diagnosis each year. The prognosis is dire. Median overall survival is a mere 15 months. The five-year overall survival rate stands at only 5%. Current treatments offer limited efficacy. An urgent need exists for new, effective therapeutic options. BEA-17 represents a vital hope in this landscape of unmet medical need.
The collaboration between Beactica and KU Leuven is key. Beactica, a privately held precision medicine company, brings its Eclipsor™ platform expertise. This platform enables efficient development of allosteric modulators and targeted protein degraders. Beactica focuses on advancing programs to clinical proof of concept. KU Leuven contributes leading glioblastoma research. Three research teams are involved. Professor Frederik De Smet, Professor An Coosemans, and Professor Thierry Voet lead these efforts.
Professor De Smet’s team focuses on brain tumor biology. They conduct spatial single-cell profiling of glioblastoma patient samples. This research translates patient-derived insights into clinically relevant hypotheses. All single-cell and spatial profiling occurs within the KU Leuven Institute for Single-cell Omics (LISCO). Professor Voet provides advanced single-cell technology expertise here. Professor Coosemans’ team then functionally tests molecular insights. They utilize state-of-the-art glioblastoma mouse models. They also employ drug profiling platforms. This provides a critical translational step towards clinical application. This integrated approach, blending patient data, single-cell technologies, and preclinical validation, establishes a robust pipeline for future glioblastoma clinical testing.
The EIC grant validates this immuno-epigenetic approach. It underscores the potential of BEA-17. This funding positions BEA-17 at the forefront of precision medicine for glioblastoma. It accelerates bringing a first-in-class LSD1–CoREST degrader closer to patients. This marks a significant milestone in the ongoing fight against aggressive brain cancer. The partnership aims to deliver new options where patients currently have few. The path to clinical trials is now clearer.