Albatroz: Trapping tumors by keeping the extracellular matrix intact

Singapore-based Albatroz is inhibiting tumor growth by restricting cancer cells’ ability to break down the extracellular matrix — a crucial step for tumor expansion and metastasis. While this concept isn’t new, the biotech’s target, calnexin, could offer a safety advantage over other extracellular matrix modifiers because it is thought to be expressed only on the surfaces of diseased cells, not healthy cells.

The extracellular matrix is a fibrous network that supports tissue architecture and regulates cell behavior. It also serves as a barrier to tumor progression. To grow and spread, cancer cells must remodel this matrix, creating space to expand and invade surrounding tissues and distant organs...