Tempest Therapeutics

Tempest Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2011, operating from Brisbane, California. The company focuses on developing a portfolio of oral small molecule cancer therapies that employ both tumor-targeted and immune-mediated mechanisms. Tempest's business model is research-driven, relying on strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, and milestone payments to generate revenue, a common approach for clinical-stage biotech firms managing high R&D costs. The company went public following a merger with Millendo Therapeutics in June 2021.

The founding team included Dr. Tom Dubensky, who served as the founding CEO starting in 2017, and Dr. Peppi Prasit, who has been instrumental in designing the company's small molecule therapeutics. Dr. Dubensky is a veteran biopharma executive with extensive experience in cancer immunotherapy, having held leadership roles at companies like Chiron, Onyx, and Aduro BioTech before Tempest. His background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. In 2023, Stephen R. Brady took over as CEO.

Tempest's pipeline features several product candidates. The lead asset is amezalpat (TPST-1120), a first-in-class oral antagonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), a key regulator of fatty acid metabolism in cancer cells. In a global randomized Phase 1b/2 clinical trial for first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), amezalpat, when combined with standard-of-care drugs, demonstrated a six-month improvement in median overall survival compared to the standard of care alone. The company is preparing for a pivotal Phase 3 trial for this indication. Another key program is TPST-1495, a dual antagonist for EP2 and EP4 prostaglandin receptors. The FDA has granted it Orphan Drug Designation for treating familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and it is set to enter a Phase 2 study funded by the National Cancer Institute. The company's strategy involves advancing its wholly-owned programs while seeking partnerships for late-stage development and commercialization to mitigate financial risk.

Keywords: oncology therapeutics, small molecule drugs, immuno-oncology, clinical-stage biotechnology, cancer treatment, hepatocellular carcinoma, amezalpat, TPST-1120, PPARα antagonist, tumor metabolism, immune-mediated therapy, first-in-class therapeutics, TPST-1495, familial adenomatous polyposis, FAP, EP2/EP4 antagonist, clinical trials, Tom Dubensky, Stephen Brady, Roche collaboration, cancer research