Outrun Therapeutics E3 ligase inhibitor

Outrun Therapeutics' lead program is a preclinical small molecule inhibitor designed to target an undisclosed E3 ligase involved in the degradation of tumor suppressor proteins. Unlike traditional targeted protein degradation (TPD) which uses E3 ligases to destroy proteins, this approach focuses on protein stabilization. By inhibiting the specific E3 ligase responsible for destabilizing tumor suppressors, the drug aims to restore the natural anti-tumor activity of these proteins in hard-to-treat solid tumors. The company, a spin-out from the University of Dundee's MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, launched in 2024 and expects to advance this program toward clinical trials by 2026 or 2027.