NJ-Founded MetasTx Fast-Tracks Precision Approach to Stop Prostate Cancer Spread; NCI-Backed Diagnostic in Proof-of-Concept, Next-Gen KIT Inhibitor Advancing Toward First-in-Human

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MetasTx, an early-stage biotech originally founded in New Jersey and now headquartered in Pittsburgh, announced progress on its two-part precision oncology platform designed to identify and treat men with prostate cancer who are most likely to progress to lethal metastasis. The company’s companion diagnostic is in proof-of-concept, supported by a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award, and its next-generation KIT inhibitor program is targeting first-in-human evaluation on an accelerated, capital-efficient timeline.

MetasTx CEO Harvey D. Homan, Ph.D., a 2022 NJBiz ICON Award honoree, underscored the company’s NJ roots and continuing ties to the Garden State through advisory relationships with Morristown-based Atlantic Health. The platform pairs a practical diagnostic to find the right patients on Day 1 with a targeted therapy aimed upstream of the cancer cell’s signals to spread.

What MetasTx is building

• An NCI-funded diagnostic that analyzes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT, a process of cell change that enables migration/ spread) signature markers in tumor samples. combined with imaging and machine learning, to flag men biologically primed for metastasis. Think of this on terms of BRCA designation in women for breast cancer. A proof-of-concept study is underway to validate the test’s ability to pinpoint roughly 10% of patients on surveillance who are truly high-risk.
• Next-Generation KIT Inhibitor: A differentiated inhibitor series originating from the lab of David Crich, Ph.D. (Head of Chemistry), for which MetasTx has executed an option to negotiate an exclusive license for later-generation KIT chemistries with the University of Georgia Research Foundation to negotiate a license covering related patents. The program is advancing through preclinical assays with the goal of entering IND-enabling work and a first-in-human study by late 2027/early 2028.

Why it matters

Most of the 299,000 U.S. men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024 and on active surveillance know it is the hard-to-detect who will silently progress. MetasTx’s integrated approach enables physicians to select, and treat, the high-risk subset earlier, aligning with value-based care priorities across New Jersey’s hospital and payer ecosystem.

Recent momentum and milestones

• NCI recognition and funding: MetasTx received a $400,000 NCI award supporting the diagnostic program, an endorsement CEO Homan called “critical validation of the science.” The proof-of-concept trial runs through mid-2026.
  

MetasTx says its current bridge financing (a convertible note) is structured to reach three value inflection points:

1. Diagnostic: complete study milestones, including learnings from the early Atlantic Health System participation and lock in patient-selection performance with prospective validation;
2. Therapeutic: select a lead KIT inhibitor and progress into IND-enabling toxicology, efficacy, and CMC;
3. Readiness for IND-enabling studies: prepare for a first-in-human study on an accelerated, capital-efficient timeline targeting late 2027/early 2028.
   

Leadership and collaborators

Beyond clinical ties in Morristown, MetasTx’s network includes Fox Chase Cancer Center and other translational collaborators in the region. The company’s fiscally efficient model outsources much of its lab work, aiming to keep burn rates low while advancing both programs in parallel.

• Harvey D. Homan, Ph.D., CEO and principal investigator on the NCI SBIR award.
• Jackson (Jay) B. Gibbs, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer; veteran of Merck and AstraZeneca.
• David Crich, Ph.D., Head of Chemistry; internationally recognized medicinal chemist behind the KIT inhibitor series.
• Chris Anderson, Data & AI lead for machine-learning components.

About MetasTx

MetasTx, Inc. is building a precision platform to prevent solid-tumor metastasis beginning with prostate cancer: an SBIR-funded EMT signature diagnostic to identify truly high-risk patients on surveillance, paired with a next-generation KIT inhibitor to intervene before the disease spreads. The initial addressable population includes men on active surveillance for prostate cancer. MetasTx operates a capital-efficient, partner-driven model to accelerate development and reduce burn.

Media Contact
Cindi Sutera, MetasTx Communications
cindis@AMSCommunications.net | 610-613-2773

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