Zestagen SA

Zestagen is a Swiss anti-cancer biotechnology company. Zestagen develops light chain monoclonal antibodies against extracellular Heat Shock Protein-90 (ehsp90), a subset of hsp90 that selectively facilitates cancer cell motility, migration and metastasis. The name Zestagen was coined after the Modern Greek word for heat “- zesti”. Interaction of Zestagen’s mAbs with ehsp90 occurs in the absence of discernible toxicity and results in significant inhibition of primary tumors & metastases in preclinical animal models of cancer. hsp90 is causatively implicated in cancer progression and is a validated pharmaceutical target. Several hsp90 small molecule inhibitors are in clinical development; unlike Zestagen’s mAbs, however, these small molecules all interact with the intracellular hsp90 pool, thereby potentially interfering with normal (housekeeping) hsp90 function. Zestagen’s mAbs and related intellectual property were discovered at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute.