In a significant medical breakthrough, researchers have unveiled a novel ‘molecular glue’ that can prompt deadly cancer cells to undergo self-destruction.

The medical startup Neomorph, based in California, announced on Tuesday the commencement of its inaugural clinical trial for NEO-811. This promising treatment targets clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most prevalent form of kidney cancer in the United States.

During the trial, a patient received a dose of NEO-811. This drug, categorized as a molecular glue degrader, consists of small molecules that facilitate the interaction between harmful proteins and enzymes that can destroy them.

This interaction compels cancer cells to self-destruct, effectively halting the spread of the disease or preventing it from taking root initially.

Medications like this are typically administered orally in multiple doses.

Unlike conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, Neomorph’s approach encourages the body to naturally eliminate harmful proteins by marking them as waste, thereby harnessing the body’s own systems to fight cancer.

This could also prevent lasting side effects and damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation like neuropathy or tingling, organ damage, infertility and other cancers. 

The goal of the trial is to evaluate the glue’s effectiveness in treating advanced, inoperable ccRCC.  

Scientists are developing a new drug that tricks disease-causing proteins into ‘self-destructing’ (stock image)

Dr Phil Chamberlain, CEO and founder of Neomorph, said trial results are expected later this year. 

He said in a press release: ‘Dosing the first patient in our Phase 1/2 trial of NEO-811 in renal cell carcinoma marks a pivotal inflection point for Neomorph, representing the first clinical evaluation of an asset from our internally developed pipeline. 

‘As we advance in the clinic, we look forward to generating data that will inform the continued development of NEO-811 and further validate the potential of our platform to deliver differentiated medicines for patients with significant unmet need.’

Kidney cancer, also called renal cancer, strikes around 80,000 Americans every year and kills 15,000, making it the seventh-most common cancer in the US. 

CcRCC, which starts in the cells that help filter waste out of the blood, makes up about eight in 10 kidney cancer cases.

The disease typically affects older Americans, with an average diagnosis age of 65. Only six percent of patients are aged between 35 and 44, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The exact causes are unclear, but a growing body of evidence suggests smoking, drinking and breathing in toxins produced by certain kinds of mold could raise the risk.

Schayene Silva (pictured) was diagnosed with Stage 1 kidney cancer in April 2025 at age 38

Proteins in the human body help carry out essential tasks like carrying oxygen, repairing DNA and dividing or degrading over time. While many bind together, others pass each other by. 

NEO-811, however, can bind to various proteins and attract the enzymes, E3 ubiquitin ligase, that cause dangerous cells to self-destruct. ‘The incredible thing about glues is they have no respect for normal limits,’ Chamberlain told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Chamberlain said he chose to focus on ccRCC because nine in 10 patients have a von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene, promoting tumor growth. 

He said: ‘There are lots of cases of it in the US, and most of the patients have a particular mutation. So it’s a large population, but it’s also a precision medicine.’

Neomorph is also looking to expand the research into other tumors, but Chamberlain did not specify which ones.  

Last year, Neomorph signed a $1.6 billion deal with pharmaceutical giant AbbVie for an option to license the glue. The company has also signed deals with Novo Nordisk and Biogen. 

Steven Elmore, vice president of small molecule therapeutics and platform technologies at AbbVie, said: ‘Protein degraders represent a groundbreaking advancement in the field of drug discovery, and at AbbVie, we are committed to advancing this technology forward.’

It is unclear when more patients will receive the drug and exactly when trial results will become available.