Biotech startup Lamassu, Cleveland Clinic aim to treat rare cancers with just three pills a month

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A biotech startup from North Carolina thinks Cleveland is where it will develop how to treat rare cancers with just three pills a month.

If effective, Lamassu Biotech's innovative gene therapy could eliminate the need for surgery or chemotherapy for some types of hard-to-treat cancer, said CEO Dr. Gabi Hanna.

Lamassu Biotech has expanded to offices in Cleveland to take advantage of its partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, and the city's entrepreneurial energy, to get its proposed therapy ready for use, Hanna said. Plus, his brother and company co-founder is a physician at the Clinic.

Lamassu was recently awarded a $2 million federal grant to support the clinical trial of this new therapy. The clinical trial, run by the Clinic, will start later this year.

"Our company believes in accelerating (this experimental) treatment, because we see patients die every day," Hanna said. "There is moral duty to bring treatment faster to patients."

The company's expansion into Cleveland six months ago was an unusual move, because Cleveland's biotech sector is much smaller than the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina, anchored by three top research universities and Research Triangle Park, which is among the largest research park of its kind in the country.

The Triangle region has about 4,000 tech and 600 life science companies, according to press reports.

But the city of Cleveland's leadership and the Clinic's energetic vibe impressed Hanna.

"I believe all the pieces are here. So that's one of the major reasons we came (to Cleveland)," he said.

It's exciting to welcome Lamassu to Cleveland, said Tyler Allchin, managing director for healthcare for JobsOhio, the state's private economic development corporation.

"Dr. Hanna has had an impressive academic career and a track record of innovation," Allchin said. "Attracting his most recent company from North Carolina is a sign that life science leaders want to be a part of the research, talent, and infrastructure found in the Cleveland Innovation District."

JobsOhio has not provided any incentives for Lamassu, Allchin said.

Ohio's life sciences industry generated $7.1 billion in payroll in 2019, a 21% increase in the last five years, according to a 2022 report by Ohio Life Sciences, the state's life sciences industry trade association.

Lamassu expects to add up to 30 skilled workers to the region's economy within the next three years.

Drug enables tumor-killing gene to do its work Lamassu's experimental drug targets rare cancers, called sarcomas, that attack the bones and soft tissues. About 15,000 cases of soft tissue and bone sarcomas combined are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Sarcomas are hard to treat because tumor cells frequently spread to other parts of the body, health experts said. These cancers frequently don't respond to standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, which is why a new approach is needed.

Lamassu's proposed targeted gene therapy aims to trigger the body's natural defenses by activating a gene responsible for killing tumor cells, Hanna said.

"Our drug will turn that gene back on to make it active, and enable the body to start clearing and attacking the cancer cells," he said.

Between 30 and 70 patients will be enrolled into a Clinic-run drug trial designed to monitor the safety and efficacy of the experimental drug. The study should start before the end of the year, and may expand to additional sites.

Patients in the study will be monitored through an outpatient clinic, Hanna said. The length of time they're monitored will be determined by the physician and patient.

For information on how to join the trial, can contact the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center or click this link.

Hanna hopes to have data to take to the FDA within about three years.

In North Carolina, Lamassu is working on a drug to treat acute pancreatitis, a sudden-onset inflammation of the pancreas. The illness is the leading cause of gastrointestinal-related hospitalizations in the United States, according to federal data.

The pancreatic drug trials are being conducted at about 10 medical centers across the United States.

"We are excited by bringing something to the patient. And that's our expertise. We understand the research. We understand patients," Hanna said.

Lamassu is contributing to the growth of Greater Cleveland's biotech sector, said Jon Snyder, managing director of investor relations at Ohio Life Sciences. That sector is expanding in categories such as cell and gene therapy, biotech, digital health and the medical device sector, Snyder said.

The Cleveland/Akron area led the state in the number of life sciences industry locations with 28% of the statewide total, according to Ohio Life Sciences.

Nationally, the biotech sector has experienced challenges in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, with public and private investment in biotech down from 2021′s highs, JobsOhio's Allchin said.

"Thanks to the strength of Cleveland's life science research enterprise, the region is well positioned to play offense when the market returns to favor," Allchin said.

Lamassu plans to start a round of fundraising next year, with a goal of $10 million, Hanna said. He hopes to add Cleveland investors to his list of previous investors mostly from North Carolina and Tennessee.

Cleveland's investment community is known for sticking with traditional companies and not biotech, Hanna said.

"Cleveland is traditionally not known to invest in biotech," Hanna said. "There is no lack of money here, but you don't know which one is the chicken or the egg — that there is no (biotech) industry for them to invest in, or maybe they are not interested."

Syrian family finds purpose in United States Hanna considers himself a serial entrepreneur who has led several startup companies. He co-founded Lamassu with his brother, Dr. Rabi Hanna, chairman of pediatric oncology at the Clinic.

The third co-founder is Lamassu chief science officer Greg Palmer.

The Hanna brothers, who are originally from Syria, named Lamassu for a mythical winged lion with a human head from ancient Assyrian culture.

Rabi Hanna convinced Gabi Hanna to join him at Duke University for advanced medical training after both men attended medical school in Britain.

"He is my older brother and he is the smartest," Gabi Hanna said.

Rabi Hanna came to the United States in 2003, followed by Gabi Hanna in 2005. Their parents relocated to this country in 2016 due to unrest in Syria.

"We tried to contribute to make the U.S. and the world a better place," Gabi Hanna said.

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.