Jim Lambert, PhD

About Jim Lambert, PhD:

Dr. Lambert is an Associate Professor of Research in the department of Pathology and has over 30 years of experience in cancer research. He is the founder and president of Vona Oncology, a start-up biopharma company from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His research team has spearheaded the efforts to develop novel small molecule drugs as viable clinical candidates for aggressive cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and melanoma. Vona Oncology’s lead compound, VDX-431, has shown strong efficacy, both in vitro and in vivo, in killing cancer cells and tumors. Vona Oncology has been awarded an NIH NCI SBIR Fast-Track award for moving VDX-431 toward clinical trials for triple-negative breast cancer.  Vona Oncology is also the recipient of a State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Advanced Industry Accelerator Early-Stage Capital Retention grant to further business development of Vona Oncology. 

About Vona Oncology:

Vona Oncology is an early clinical stage bio-pharmaceutical company developing targeted therapeutics to treat aggressive cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), ovarian cancer and melanoma. TNBC is our initial indication for our small molecule drug, VDX-111.

Vona Oncology is focused on the development and commercialization of our lead compound, VDX-111. The company’s immediate objective is the completion of IND-enabling studies of VDX-111 and demonstration of early clinical phase efficacy in the treatment of TNBC. Our long-term vision is to grow Vona Oncology into a cutting-edge drug discovery and development company that can turn novel biological insights in cancer biology into actionable clinical treatments.  Vona Oncology has raised $2.65M in non-dilutive funds to date.

The treatment we are developing, VDX-111, is a small molecule, well-tolerated drug that will establish a novel class of targeted therapy for treatment of TNBC.  Studies from our research team have provided proof-of-concept that VDX-111 is an efficacious therapeutic for TNBC in pre-clinical cell and animal models.  

Our studies have demonstrated strong efficacy of VDX-111 in killing TNBC cells in vitro, and blocking TNBC tumor growth in vivo. We have identified the major target of VDX-111 in TNBC and have shown synergy with standard of care chemotherapy. These findings open additional avenues to use and clinical benefit.