Esperance Pharmaceuticals, a Baton Rouge-based company founded on technology developed at LSU, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the LSU AgCenter, is on the front lines of the war against one of the world’s deadliest and costliest diseases. Its lead drug, dubbed EP-100, could represent a breakthrough in cancer treatment and eliminate the need for some patients to undergo chemotherapy. The drug is currently in clinical testing on humans, and the company also has three other compounds in the pipeline. Esperance CEO Hector Alila compares EP-100 to a “guided missile.” “It seeks and destroys only those [cancer] cells without harming normal cells,” he says. “Chemotherapy’s like a scorched-earth approach. This is very targeted.” Read the full Business Report cover story by David Jacobs here. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
Local startup developing ‘targeted’ cancer therapy
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