Glioblastoma remains one of the most aggressive primary brain cancers, with a median survival rate of approximately 15 months and a standard of care that has seen little innovation in two decades. Immunotherapies have struggled to penetrate the tumor’s immunosuppressive environment, but BEA-17 aims to breach this barrier. By degrading the epigenetic regulators LSD1 and CoREST, the drug enhances antigen presentation and reprograms tumor-associated macrophages into a pro-inflammatory state, effectively turning "cold" tumors responsive to treatment.

Preclinical data shows that BEA-17, when combined with standard care, induces durable tumor regression that standard therapies alone cannot achieve. The drug is brain-penetrant, orally bioavailable, and has already received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA. The current development phase involves GLP-compliant toxicology, safety pharmacology, and the production of clinical-grade drug substance. This work is supported by a EUR 2.5 million EIC Transition grant under the Horizon Europe project GLIOBREAK. CEO Per Källblad confirmed the company aims to submit a Clinical Trial Application in the EU or an Investigational New Drug application to the US FDA by 2027.