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August 7, 2019

New Haven biotech honored for work developing cancer-fighting drugs

PHOTO | Contributed Kleo Pharmaceuticals's headquarters at 25 Science Park, in New Haven.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Finding a cure for cancer is personal for many working at Kleo Pharmaceuticals in New Haven.

Doug Manion, MD, the company’s CEO, has lost friends and family to the disease, as has the company’s co-founder, David Spiegel, MD. 

Kleo is an immuno-oncology company working to develop medication that boosts the body’s immune system. The idea, according to Manion, is to turbocharge the immune system so it can rid itself of cancer — a more natural approach than traditional therapies like chemotherapy.

Spiegel, meanwhile, said that while therapies have advanced over the years, they are still “sorely lacking.”

“Members of my family and friends have been affected by cancer, and it is still an incredibly unmet medical need,” Spiegel said. “Fighting cancer is extraordinarily important.”

For its efforts, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has honored the company with his Innovator of the Month Award. Kleo officials celebrated the honor with a ceremony at the company’s newly expanded headquarters at 25 Science Park Wednesday morning. 

“There is no reason why New Haven shouldn’t be recognized as a biotech hub, and it is nice to have a pat on the back and people pushing for us to succeed,” Manion said.

The company is currently developing a potential treatment for multiple myeloma, and it anticipates getting to the human testing phase in late 2019 or early 2020. Manion and Spiegel believe the company’s work will be fruitful in the fight against other cancers also.

Manion initially pursued medicine to fight HIV. He noted that while that has become a manageable illness, cancer continues to affect people of all ages. He said a family member died from leukemia, and he recently lost a friend to multiple myeloma.

“There are patients that are waiting for our drugs, including family members,” Manion said.

Spiegel, a Yale professor of chemistry, founded the company in 2015 based on his research.

Kleo now has 18 full-time employees, and it just finished doubling its square footage in Science Park, part of a $1.2 million renovation project made possible through a loan from the Rocky Hill-based Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public venture investment arm.

“I’m very honored and proud of our progress and the team we have been able to build,” Spiegel said. “What is most exciting to me is the future and what it holds.”

David Tusio, director of economic development on Murphy’s staff, said Murphy is excited about the future of what can be developed at Kleo and in Connecticut. Murphy, who launched the Innovator of the Month initiative in 2017, could not attend the event.

“The senator wants to be a cheerleader and be supportive on the federal level,” Tusio said.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com

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