United by Urgency. Driven by Science.

Curtana Pharmaceuticals was founded on an uncompromising commitment: the current standard of care for brain cancer is fundamentally inadequate. Traditional therapies primarily target the rapidly dividing cells of the tumor bulk, leaving behind a highly resilient subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that inevitably drive disease recurrence.

We are a team of veteran drug developers, world-class neuro-oncologists, and dedicated researchers united by the urgent need to change this paradigm. Our distinct approach centers on targeting OLIG2, a master transcription factor universally expressed in diffuse gliomas that serves as the central engine for CSC survival, proliferation, and tumor-driven immune evasion.

With our lead investigational asset, CT-179, we have successfully developed a first-in-class, highly brain-penetrant small molecule designed to physically disrupt OLIG2 dimerization, effectively neutralizing its ability to fuel tumor growth and hide the tumor from the immune system.

By aggressively targeting the cellular origin of treatment resistance across the most devastating adult and pediatric central nervous system malignancies – including Glioblastoma (GBM), Low Grade Glioma (LGG), Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG), and Recurrent Medulloblastoma – we are advancing a new era of precision neuro-oncology. At Curtana, we refuse to accept recurrence as an inevitability; we are dismantling brain cancer at its foundation.

Guided by Experts in Oncology and Drug Development

Our clinical and scientific progress is steered by leaders with deep expertise in CNS drug development, oncology, and cellular biology.

Pictured: Co-founder Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD

Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, FANA, NBPAS

Chair, Scientific Advisory Board; Founder of Asthra Health and an Investigator at Lundquist Institute

Bryan Day, PhD

Group Leader of the Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer; Co-Director of the Children’s Brain Cancer Centre in Brisbane; Co-Director of the Australian Brain Cancer Research Alliance (ABCARA)

Peter Dirks, MD, PhD

Professor of Neurosurgery, Molecular Genetics, and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto; Neurosurgeon and Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

Terrence Johns, PhD

Head of Research at Epigenes Australia; Head of the Oncogenic Signalling Laboratory at Telethon Kids Institute; Professor at the University of Western Australia and La Trobe University

Xiao-Nan Li, MD, PhD

Professor of Pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Principal Investigator at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Jann Sarkaria, MD

Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science; Consultant in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Mayo Clinic

Timothy Gershon, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Director of the Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research; Member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Research Program at the Winship Cancer Institute

Backed by Leading Scientific Authorities

The foundational science behind CT-179 and our dual-action mechanism of OLIG2 inhibition has been rigorously reviewed, recognized, and supported by leading state, federal, and philanthropic organizations dedicated to curing brain cancer.

A Global Network of Scientific Excellence

Defeating brain cancer requires a unified front. Curtana is proud to collaborate with premier clinical networks and the world's leading academic and clinical institutions to rigorously validate our science and rapidly advance CT-179 into the clinic.