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King’s Spin-out Targets Human Trials for Oral Cancer Drug After Promising Mouse Results

Researchers plan to begin human trials in about two years after mouse studies demonstrated that the oral inhibitor restored chemotherapy sensitivity by blocking macrophage HO-1.

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Image: © FatCamera | iStock

Overview

  • KCL-HO-1i, an oral heme oxygenase-1 inhibitor, removed macrophage-mediated tumour shields and made chemo-resistant breast cancers responsive to multiple chemotherapy agents in preclinical models.
  • The findings were published on August 10, 2025, in Science Translational Medicine by Meriem Bahri et al., marking the first peer-reviewed report of KCL-HO-1i’s efficacy.
  • King’s College London researchers established Aethox Therapeutics to advance KCL-HO-1i from preclinical studies toward first-in-human clinical testing.
  • Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council funded the research and described the approach as early-stage but encouraging for enhancing existing cancer therapies.
  • Investigators aim to launch human trials within roughly two years and estimate that, if successful, KCL-HO-1i could reach patients within five to ten years.