Amsterdam UMC launches Pepper Therapeutics to advance new pancreatic cancer treatment
From laboratory insight to clinical ambition
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most urgent challenges in oncology. Survival rates have improved only incrementally, and for many patients, treatment options remain limited. Against this backdrop, a new Amsterdam-based venture is working to translate promising science into a tangible, affordable therapy.
Amsterdam UMC has joined forces with Erasmus MC, the Overleven met Alvleesklierkanker (Living with Pancreatic Cancer) Foundation, RARE-NL Foundation and Orfenix to launch Pepper Therapeutics, a startup focused on developing a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer. At the heart of its approach lies fenformine, a diabetes drug that has shown the ability to inhibit tumour growth in preclinical research.
The scientific foundation for Pepper Therapeutics stems from the work of Hanneke Wilmink, medical oncologist at Amsterdam UMC, who identified the potential of fenformine in this context. With the company now formally established, the next step is clear: advancing into clinical studies to determine whether these early findings can translate into meaningful benefits for patients.
A socially driven approach to drug development
While breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer treatment are often measured in small increments, those incremental gains matter. Pepper Therapeutics aims to build on that principle, turning laboratory insights into clinical progress. The ambition is not only to develop an effective therapy, but to ensure that it remains accessible and affordable.
Affordability, social responsibility and broad accessibility form the core mission of the company. In an era of escalating healthcare costs, Pepper Therapeutics is positioning itself as a socially driven innovator, committed to keeping pricing sustainable for both patients and healthcare systems.
The startup was initiated by Amsterdam UMC in close collaboration with Erasmus MC, with Business Developer Marianka van der Tol playing a central role in bringing together the necessary expertise and structuring the new company. The collaboration underscores the strength of the Amsterdam life sciences and health ecosystem, where academic medical centres, foundations and private partners align around shared societal impact.
Building on Amsterdam’s wider oncology network
For scientists working on cancer in Amsterdam, Pepper Therapeutics is another example of how lab work can take on a life beyond the university walls. Instead of publishing promising results and stopping there, this team is building a company to test whether fenformine can genuinely change outcomes for patients.
It also sits within a broader oncology community in the city. Cancer Center Amsterdam brings together research groups across Amsterdam UMC, while the Netherlands Cancer Institute (Antoni van Leeuwenhoek) continues to lead in pancreatic cancer research and clinical trials. At Amsterdam Science Park and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, researchers are working on tumour biology, drug development and data-driven approaches to treatment.
Pepper Therapeutics does not stand alone. It joins a network of hospitals, labs, patient foundations and biotech partners in the Amsterdam Area that are steadily — and pragmatically — trying to improve the outlook for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.