Company Profile

Company Overview

Precision targeting of key DNA repair mechanisms is the key to synthetic lethal therapies for cancer and autoimmune disease. In contrast to other therapies which completely eliminate the target’s activity (e.g. kinase inhibitors), the key to targeting DNA repair is to partially reduce or precisely alter the activity of specific DNA repair factors. In this way, target cells with genetically defined gain-of-function abnormalities will self-destruct without harming healthy tissues. This works because cells with certain gain-of-function abnormalities experience far more DNA damage than normal cells and are thus exquisitely sensitive to small changes in DNA repair activity.

Cyteir’s scientists have been at the forefront in developing this new therapeutic strategy for targeting DNA repair. Our lead program targets RAD51, a DNA repair protein that is crucial for the survival of cells with gain-of-activity in AID, an enzyme that causes excessive DNA damage in cancer and autoimmune cells.