N17350

N17350 is a first-in-class biologic drug candidate developed by Onchilles Pharma that leverages the ELANE (neutrophil elastase) pathway to selectively kill cancer cells while preserving and activating immune function. The drug is designed to induce immunogenic cell death in cancer cells by targeting an essential vulnerability—elevated histone H1 levels—shared across diverse tumor types, regardless of anatomical location, genetic background, or immune status. Mechanistically, N17350 mobilizes the ELANE-mediated pathway to trigger apoptosis specifically in cancer cells through proteolytic liberation of the CD95 death domain and interaction with histone H1. This initiates a cascade resulting in DNA damage, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, suppression of survival pathways, and activation of apoptosis effectors. Preclinical studies have shown that N17350 outperforms standard chemotherapies such as carboplatin in inducing tumor regression—including chemotherapy-resistant cancers—and preserves immune cell viability while stimulating both adaptive and innate anti-tumor immunity. The agent has demonstrated broad efficacy across multiple solid tumor models (including ovarian carcinoma), no observed resistance after repeated dosing, and synergy with checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical settings[1][2][3][6][7][8].