Sethera Therapeutics’ Polymacrocyclic Peptide Platform Selected for CDMRP-Supported Mutant p53 Breast Cancer Program

SALT LAKE CITY, UT, UNITED STATES, August 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Salt Lake City, UT —August 10th, 2026 — Sethera Therapeutics announced that a collaborative breast cancer research project with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has received funding through the Fiscal Year 2025 Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award, administered by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The award supports innovative, high-impact research aimed at advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer.

The project reflects CDMRP’s commitment to accelerating transformative discoveries that may improve outcomes for individuals affected by breast cancer. The award recognizes the scientific merit, innovation, and collaborative strength of the research teams led by Dr. Katerina Gurova at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dr. Karsten Eastman at Sethera Therapeutics.

Sethera Therapeutics has developed a polymacrocyclic peptide (pMCP) discovery platform designed to discover and engineer constrained peptide molecules with differentiated architectures and chemistries. The technology was first developed at the University of Utah with NIH support and licensed exclusively to Sethera Therapeutics. The pMCP platform offers a new approach for pursuing difficult biological targets that have been challenging for conventional drug modalities.

Polymacrocyclic Peptides for Mutant p53-Driven Breast Cancer
The collaborative breast cancer project focuses on one of the most common and difficult problems in cancer biology: mutations in p53, a protein often described as the “guardian of the genome.” In healthy cells, p53 helps prevent damaged cells from continuing to grow. In many cancers, including aggressive breast cancers, p53 becomes mutated and loses this protective function. These mutant forms of p53 can adopt abnormal conformations that allow cancer cells to survive, divide, and resist treatment.

Sethera will use its polymacrocyclic peptide platform to discover constrained peptide molecules that bind mutant p53 and stabilize conformations associated with restored tumor-suppressive activity. Rather than simply blocking a cancer target, the goal is to identify molecules capable of modulating mutant p53 structure and function in ways that are difficult to achieve with conventional modalities. This approach could support a new therapeutic strategy for breast cancers driven by p53 mutations, including forms of the disease that currently have limited targeted treatment options.

“This program represents an important external validation of both our platform and our strategy of applying architecture-diverse peptides to targets that have remained beyond the practical reach of many established drug classes,” said Karsten Eastman, PhD, CEO of Sethera Therapeutics. “Mutant p53 is an especially compelling test because its biological activity is closely linked to its three-dimensional structure. By working with Dr. Gurova and the Roswell Park team, we can evaluate not only whether our molecules bind mutant p53, but whether they can produce meaningful functional rescue in disease-relevant systems.”

The Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award is designed to support promising and innovative studies that challenge existing paradigms and accelerate progress in breast cancer research. The FY25 award underscores the federal government’s continued investment in transformative medical research and scientific collaboration.

About Sethera Therapeutics
Sethera Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a polymacrocyclic peptide discovery platform based on enzymatic cross-linking chemistry. The platform enables the generation and screening of highly constrained peptide architectures designed to access chemical and biological space that is difficult to reach with conventional small molecules, biologics, or traditional peptide approaches.
Sethera’s technology was originally developed at the University of Utah and is exclusively licensed to the company. By collaborating with industry leaders and research institutions, Sethera aims to unlock new possibilities in drug discovery and development for targets that are difficult to address with existing therapeutic modalities. For more information about partnering with Sethera, visit setheratx.com.

Karsten Eastman
Sethera Therapeutics, Inc.
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