Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · 4320 Forest Park Ave, St Louis, Missouri 63108, US
Develops novel COX-2 inhibitors for oncology patients with lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.
Founded in October 2011 by Celebrex inventor John Talley alongside Randall Weiss, Robert Karr, and Eduardo Martinez, Euclises Pharmaceuticals is a Saint Louis, Missouri-based biotechnology company. Led by President and CEO Rajesh Devraj, the dedicated four-employee enterprise develops novel COX-2 inhibitors designed to prevent tumor immune evasion in oncology patients. These targeted pharmaceutical treatments address severe human malignancies, specifically deadly colorectal, non-small cell lung, and pancreatic cancers, enabling effective anti-cancer efficacy at lower doses than older legacy drugs like Celebrex. The growing firm actively advances its primary oncology drug candidate, Euclicoxib, toward formal clinical trials through strategic venture capital funding. To support this ongoing research and development pipeline, the organization secured a $175,000 seed investment from the Saint Louis Arch Angels and a $1,300,000 Series A financing round backed by BioGenerator and Cultivation Capital.
Euclises Pharmaceuticals has raised $6.3M across 4 funding rounds.
Euclises Pharmaceuticals has raised $6.3M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Euclises Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology startup developing novel COX-2 inhibitors under its proprietary Euclicoxib platform to treat cancers like lung, colorectal, and pancreatic, as well as pain and inflammation.[1][2][3][4][5] Based in St. Louis, MO, the company serves oncology patients by addressing limitations of earlier COX-2 drugs like Celebrex, improving safety, efficacy, and patient selection via validated biomarkers to disrupt the tumor microenvironment and enhance immuno-oncology therapies.[1][4][5] With ~4 employees, it raised ~$5.4M in funding (including a $1.3M Series A in 2014) and remains in the product development stage, currently advancing ECP-1014 for pain (pending clinical phase) from its BioGenerator accelerator base.[1][2][3][4][5]
Founded in October 2011, Euclises emerged from the expertise of John Talley, its co-founder and CSO, who invented Celebrex and holds over 200 U.S. patents from roles at G.D. Searle and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.[1] Randall Weiss serves as co-founder, while Rajesh Devraj, President & CEO, brings 18+ years from Pfizer, Jubilant Biosys, and Deciphera, having advanced eight candidates to clinical trials.[1] The idea stemmed from clinical validation of COX-2's role in cancer—underserved by older inhibitors—leading to novel Euclicoxibs optimized for oncology, with early traction via St. Louis Arch Angels and Cultivation Capital funding in 2014.[1][2]
Euclises rides the immuno-oncology wave, targeting COX-2—a clinically proven but underexploited cancer driver—amid rising demand for precision therapies in hard-to-treat solid tumors like pancreatic and lung cancers.[1][4][5] Timing aligns with post-2020 advances in biomarker-guided treatments and combination regimens, fueled by market forces like immunotherapy expansion (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors) and Big Pharma's oncology push.[4] In St. Louis's biotech hub (via BioGenerator/CORTEX), it bolsters the local ecosystem by validating academic-industry translation, attracting early VC like Cultivation Capital, and pioneering safer COX-2 reactivation post-Celebrex cardiovascular concerns.[1][2][3]
Euclises is poised to nominate a lead clinical candidate from its Euclicoxib portfolio, potentially entering trials for oncology indications by 2026-2027, building on ECP-1014 momentum and team expertise.[2][5] Trends like AI-driven drug design, combo immuno-therapies, and COX-2 biomarker refinement will accelerate progress, though funding and trial recruitment remain hurdles for small biotechs. Its influence could grow by licensing to majors or partnering in St. Louis's ecosystem, transforming validated science into viable cancer treatments—echoing Talley's Celebrex legacy with safer, oncology-optimized inhibitors.[1][4]
Euclises Pharmaceuticals has raised $6.3M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Series U in November 2016.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2016 | $1M Series U | — | GE Ventures, ISelect Fund, Techstars | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2015 | $2M Series U | — | GE Ventures, ISelect Fund, Techstars | Announced |
| Apr 7, 2015 | $2M Series A Plus | — | Biogenerator, Cultivation Capital, ST. Louis Arch Angels | Announced |
| Sep 9, 2014 | $1.3M Series A | Rick Ryan | ABC Laboratories, Charlie Bolten, Missouri Technology Corporation, Robert Calcaterra, ST. Louis County Port Authority | Announced |
Euclises Pharmaceuticals has raised $6.3M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Euclises Pharmaceuticals's investors include GE Ventures, iSelect Fund, Techstars, BioGenerator, Cultivation Capital, St. Louis Arch Angels, Rick Ryan, ABC Laboratories, Charlie Bolten, Missouri Technology Corporation, Robert Calcaterra, St. Louis County Port Authority.