NuCana plc

NuCana plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on significantly improving treatment outcomes for patients with cancer. According to its official website, the company uses proprietary phosphoramidate chemistry — branded as ProTide technology — to develop more effective and safer anti-cancer medicines, with the stated mission "To significantly improve the survival outcomes for patients and pioneer a new era in oncology." The company is led by a management team with extensive drug development and commercialization expertise, and its founder and CEO is Hugh S. Griffith. NuCana's operations commenced in 2008, and the company has since built a pipeline of new anti-cancer agents intended to change standards of care across a broad range of cancers. Its lead programs include NUC-3373, a ProTide designed to improve on the widely used chemotherapy agent 5-FU, and NUC-7738, which is being studied both as a single agent and in combination with the immunotherapy pembrolizumab. The company has reported clinical activity and favorable safety data for these candidates in settings including colorectal cancer and PD-1 resistant melanoma. NuCana is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, at 3 Lochside Way, and maintains a US office at 275 Grove Street, Newton, Massachusetts. It is a publicly listed company, having completed a Nasdaq IPO in 2017 that raised $114 million, followed by a follow-on offering in 2020 that raised $80 million and a $38 million raise in 2025. The company describes itself as clinical-stage, meaning its product candidates have not yet received marketing approval and its revenue, if any, is not derived from commercialized medicines. NuCana's positioning rests on the idea of transforming some of the most widely prescribed chemotherapy and cancer agents through phosphoramidate chemistry, and on unlocking the potential of immunotherapy combinations. Its pipeline spans Phase 1 through Phase 2 studies, including the NuTide:301, NuTide:302 and NuTide:701 clinical studies. The company has been recognized in the Scottish life sciences community, winning 'Investment of the Year' and seeing its CEO honored with an 'Outstanding Contribution Award.'

NuCana plc traces its origins to 2008, when its operations commenced with the ambition of driving 'A New Era in Oncology.' The company was founded around proprietary phosphoramidate chemistry, branded as ProTide technology, which is designed to improve the delivery and effectiveness of existing anti-cancer agents. In 2011, NuCana completed a Series A financing of $11 million to accelerate ProTides into clinical development. A Series B financing of $57 million followed in 2014 to fund expansion of clinical studies of ProTides. In 2016, NUC-3373 entered the Phase 1 NuTide:301 clinical study in patients with advanced solid tumors. The following year, 2017, was a landmark: NuCana completed a Nasdaq IPO that raised $114 million. That same year the company won the Scottish Life Sciences 'Investment of the Year' award, and CEO Hugh Griffith was honored with an 'Outstanding Contribution Award' from Scottish Life Sciences. Clinical progress continued in 2018, when NUC-3373 entered the Phase 1b/2 NuTide:302 clinical study for the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer. In 2019, NUC-3373 demonstrated a favorable PK profile in patients with cancer, and NUC-7738 entered the Phase 1 NuTide:701 clinical study in patients with advanced solid tumors. In 2020, NUC-3373 showed potential to induce an immune response against cancer cells, and the company completed a follow-on offering that raised $80 million. In 2021, NUC-3373 achieved encouraging efficacy signals in colorectal cancer, and NUC-7738 demonstrated anti-cancer activity in advanced solid tumors. In 2022, NUC-3373 was shown to be more effective at inhibiting TS activity than 5-FU. In 2023, NUC-3373 showed promising efficacy signals in second-line colorectal cancer patients, and NUC-7738 was found to potentiate pembrolizumab in patients who had failed previous treatment with PD-1 inhibitors. In 2024, NUC-7738 plus pembrolizumab demonstrated encouraging anti-cancer activity in patients who were resistant or refractory to prior PD-1 inhibitor therapy. In 2025, NUC-7738 demonstrated clinical activity and favorable safety for patients with PD-1 resistant melanoma, entered the Phase 2 NuTide:701 expansion study in patients with melanoma, and NuCana raised $38 million, significantly extending its cash runway. Throughout this period, NuCana has remained a clinical-stage company, headquartered in Edinburgh with a US office in Newton, Massachusetts. Its pipeline has advanced through Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies, and it continues to pursue combinations of its ProTide agents with immunotherapies.

• 2026

  NuCana appoints Ian Webster as Chief Financial Officer; reports Q1 and Q2 2026 financial results

• 2025

  NUC-7738 demonstrates clinical activity and favourable safety for patients with PD-1 resistant melanoma; NUC-7738 enters Phase 2 NuTide:701 expansion study in patients with melanoma; NuCana raises $38 million significantly extending its cash runway

• 2024

  NUC-7738 + pembrolizumab demonstrates encouraging anti-cancer activity in patients who were resistant or refractory to prior PD-1 inhibitor therapy

• 2023

  NUC-3373 shows promising efficacy signals in second-line colorectal cancer patients; NUC-7738 potentiates pembrolizumab in patients who have failed previous treatment with PD-1 inhibitors

• 2022

  NUC-3373 shown to be more effective at inhibiting TS activity than 5-FU

• 2021

  NUC-3373 achieves encouraging efficacy signals in colorectal cancer; NUC-7738 demonstrates anti-cancer activity in advanced solid tumors

• 2020

  NUC-3373 shows potential to induce an immune response against cancer cells; follow-on offering raises $80 million

• 2019

  NUC-3373 demonstrates favorable PK profile in patients with cancer; NUC-7738 enters the Phase 1 NuTide:701 clinical study in patients with advanced solid tumors

• 2018

  NUC-3373 enters the Phase 1b/2 NuTide:302 clinical study for the treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer

• 2017

  Nasdaq IPO raises $114 million; CEO Hugh Griffith honored with 'Outstanding Contribution Award' from Scottish Life Sciences; NuCana wins Scottish Life Sciences 'Investment of the Year'

• 2016

  NUC-3373 enters the Phase 1 NuTide:301 clinical study in patients with advanced solid tumors

• 2014

  Series B financing ($57 million) to fund expansion of clinical studies of ProTides

• 2011

  Series A financing ($11 million) to accelerate ProTides into clinical development

• 2008

  NuCana's operations commence to drive 'A New Era in Oncology'

Clinical-stage oncology company transforming widely prescribed chemotherapy and cancer agents through proprietary ProTide phosphoramidate technology.

• NUC-3373

  A ProTide designed to improve on 5-FU, studied in colorectal cancer and advanced solid tumors.

• NUC-7738

  A ProTide studied as a single agent and in combination with pembrolizumab in advanced solid tumors and melanoma.

• ProTide technology

  Proprietary phosphoramidate chemistry platform for developing more effective and safer anti-cancer medicines.

• 2020-09-17

  NuCana announces pricing of public offering[4]NuCana宣布公开发行定价finanznachrichten.de

  Reported: 2020-09-17

  NuCana announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 15,555,556 American Depositary Shares at $4.50 per share, for expected gross proceeds of approximately $70 million. The offering was expected to close on or about September 21, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

• 2019-11-13

  NuCana reports third-quarter 2019 financial results[5]NuCana公布2019年第三季度财务业绩finanznachrichten.de

  Reported: 2019-11-13

  NuCana announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019, reporting a net loss of £3.9 million and cash and cash equivalents of £58.1 million as of September 30, 2019.

1. 1NuCana plc - ProTide technology to transform some of the most widely prescribed chemotherapy / cancer agentsnucana.com
2. 2NuCana plc - Aboutnucana.com
3. 3Nucana (United Kingdom) - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4NuCana宣布公开发行定价finanznachrichten.de
5. 5NuCana公布2019年第三季度财务业绩finanznachrichten.de
6. 6NuCana plc: NuCana Reports First Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Provides Business Updatefinanznachrichten.de
7. 7NuCana plc: NuCana Reports Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Provides Business Updatefinanznachrichten.de