Aptadel Therapeutics Grant - ADEL-101 (Second Commitment)

Aptadel Therapeutics Partnership Grant

Funder: Little Warrior Foundation Inc (WI, US)
Amount: $680,000
Status: Committed (announced February 2026)
Geographic Scope: Barcelona, Spain

Background

This is a follow-up commitment to advance ADEL-101, an aptamer drug conjugate (ApDC) targeting EWSR1::FLI1 (Type 1) fusion in Ewing sarcoma. The initial $500,000 grant supported preclinical development; this additional $680,000 addresses biodistribution challenges identified in mouse models.

Focus Areas

• Drug: ADEL-101 (aptamer drug conjugate)
• Target: EWSR1::FLI1 fusion oncogene in Ewing sarcoma
• Challenge: Previous studies showed rapid kidney clearance; new strategy aims to improve biodistribution by increasing compound size to prevent renal filtering
• Timeline: 15-month development period to improve in vivo proof-of-principle
• Goal: Enhanced tumor targeting and therapeutic activity leading to clinical translation

Mechanism of Action

ADEL-101 uses an RNA aptamer that binds to epHA2 (marker on Ewing sarcoma cells) and delivers siRNA to silence the EWSR1::FLI1 fusion gene.

Contact Information

Little Warrior Foundation PO Box 2124 Brookfield, WI 53008-2124 info@littlewarrior.org EIN: 84-4322722