DETERA Therapeutics, a peptide to prevent crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN)

As kidney disease continues to rise worldwide, the start-up DETERA Therapeutics is developing a drug candidate for crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN). This treatment would enable the 10,000 patients in Europe and America to protect their kidney function, as current standard treatments are still not effective enough.

In October 2024, three co-founders created the start-up DETERA Therapeutics following work carried out at the Chemical Biology Laboratory of the Department of Medicines and Health Technologies (MTS - Univ. Paris-Saclay/INRAE/CEA). These are Daniel Gillet, research director at CEA and head of the Chemical Biology Laboratory, Pierre-Louis Tharaux, nephrologist and research director at Inserm, and Lyse Santoro, a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure, who also holds an agrégation in biology and a PhD in immunology. Following business training, Lyse Santoro went on to manage several biotechnology companies for more than ten years.

With DETERA Therapeutics, the trio targets kidney diseases, particularly crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), a rare disease that affects 20 people per million worldwide each year. "After years in the pharmaceutical industry, I chose to dive into entrepreneurship to be more active in innovation. DETERA is a real achievement," explains Lyse Santoro, CEO of the start-up. "The team is also very complementary: when the three of us met at SATT Paris-Saclay, Daniel Gillet and Pierre-Louis Tharaux had already been working on the subject for more than fifteen years," emphasises Lyse Santoro.

Their project convinced SATT Paris-Saclay, which ensured its maturation, and in March 2025, the start-up signed a transfer agreement with SATT Paris-Saclay, which acquired a stake in the company. Bpifrance also provided funding the following month. In June 2025, the start-up was selected by Bpifrance to join the deep tech community. DETERA was also a finalist for the IPSEN Golden Ticket.

The three co-founders represent more than 75% of the capital. The remaining shares are divided between SATT Paris-Saclay, CEA Investissement and André Ulmann, a business angel. "SATT Paris-Saclay played an essential role. It identified the project's potential and then helped it mature and supported the researchers for several years," adds Lyse Santoro. In addition to the three cofounders of the start-up, the team includes one engineer. Between three and five other engineers will join them in 2026.

Treating CGN early

DETERA Therapeutics develops therapies for rare kidney diseases. "We are working on two products, but for now we are focusing on a first drug candidate, DTR8, to take it through to the end of the phase II clinical trial for the treatment of crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN)," explains the co-founder.

This highly aggressive autoimmune disease is characterised by rapid and permanent loss of kidney function (half of kidney function is lost within a few months). The renal glomeruli are essential structures for proper kidney function, filtering the blood to remove waste products in the urine. In CNG, these structures dedifferentiate and proliferate in an uncontrolled manner. They destroy themselves by forming cellular crescents, hence the name of the disease. "Treatments already exist, but they target only the immune response and not the kidney. They are based on high-dose corticosteroids and antibodies that block antibody-producing cells. The impact on CGN remains limited. In contrast, DTR8, our first-in-class drug, acts directly on the kidney. From the moment of diagnosis, it reduces the appearance of non-functional glomeruli and modifies the progression of the disease. It is a disease-modifying drug. It will be a real game changer for patients," adds Lyse Santoro.

An effective drug candidate in animals

This result was obtained following the work of Pierre-Louis Tharaux, who was already studying this disease at the Paris Centre for Cardiovascular Research (PARCC – Univ. Paris Cité/Inserm). In the dysfunctional renal glomeruli of patients, scientists observed the overexpression of an epidermal growth factor, HB-EGF (Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor). The researcher and his team succeeded in proving that this factor is responsible for the onset and progression of CGN, and therefore constitutes a therapeutic target. Daniel Gillet, for his part, developed an HB-EGF antagonist molecule that blocks cell proliferation in the glomeruli. 
The drug candidate developed by DETERA Therapeutics, DTR8, is a peptide and a potent antagonist of HB-EGF. Its formula is patented. For now, its effects have been demonstrated in vivo in pigs. "Trials in pigs, whose kidneys are very similar to those of humans, have shown the effectiveness of our product. We have observed that DTR8 preserves 60% of healthy glomeruli, compared to only 25% with placebo treatment. So, our first-in-class drug effectively blocks the degradation of renal glomeruli," explains Lyse Santoro. Based on these promising results, DTR8 is now entering the pre-clinical regulatory phase. The start-up's co-founders are preparing the application for phase I trials in humans, which should be ready within two years. The production protocol is currently being industrialised with a service provider. "We will then be able to focus on treating other rare diseases with our second product. But DTR8 also has significant potential in oncology," says the start-up's co-founder and CEO.

International opportunities

CGD remains a rare disease that affects 10,000 people each year in the United States and Europe. "We have conducted market research to determine the prices for our future product. The drug will be expensive, but it will reduce healthcare costs. Current treatments, which include dialysis, transplants and long-term hospitalisation, are costly for the community. Thanks to our product, which stops the loss of kidney function, these costs will be significantly reduced. This will generate savings for the public health system," says the director. To raise awareness, DETERA attends numerous conferences and displays the results of proof-of-concept studies in animals at medical conferences.

Beyond the United States and Europe, the start-up is also focusing on Japan. "Treatments for kidney disease are rapidly developing and manufacturers are showing renewed interest in this therapeutic area, particularly in Asia. Chronic kidney disease will soon be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide and has become one of the WHO's priorities for 2025," adds Lyse Santoro.
DETERA is currently securing funding to support all of its projects. It has already raised public money through Bpifrance and is preparing its first fundraising round. Four million euros will be needed to take the drug candidate through to phase I human trials.