Cancer treatments typically fall into one of two categories, according to Onchilles Pharma; they either directly kill tumour cells, often at the expense of damaging immune cells, or they recruit the patient's immune system to launch an attack. But to the San Diego–based biotech, oncology therapeutics shouldn't have to be one or the other — and now it's received two key pieces of validation for its approach that aims to do both. Onchilles is developing biologics that target the ELANE pathway. By homing in on cells with elevated histone H1 levels, which the company said is "a critical vulnerability shared by all cancer cells," its experimental treatments selectively kill tumours with mitochondrial and DNA damage, while sparing healthy tissues — and activating a systemic CD8+ T cell–mediated immune response. The biotech on Friday raised $25 million in a series A1 round to move its lead ELANE-target injectable, N17350, through clinical proof-of-concept studies. Onchilles also simultaneously published preclinical data in Cell Reports Medicine demonstrating that N17350 led to durable responses across 30 cancer cell lines. According to the startup, the findings support the "cancer-selective immune-activating" capabilities of targeting the ELANE pathway. Along with the in vitro studies, N17350 also showed "consistent" efficacy and spared immune cells in 15 in vivo models of varying cancers including breast, lung, ovarian and colon.Onchilles will launch a Phase I trial of N17350 in Australia early next year in multiple solid tumour types, including breast, skin, and head-and-neck cancers; it expects a go-ahead from the FDA in mid-2026 to begin recruiting US patients. The study will evaluate safety and therapeutic activity, while also measuring biomarkers of immune activation. The biotech is also developing a systemically delivered version of the candidate, dubbed NEU-002, and plans to nominate a development candidate in early 2026."We believe our next-generation cytotoxic therapeutics that harness the ELANE pathway offer a compelling new treatment breakthrough that combines cytotoxic activity with immune-preserving activity and the potential to address a broad range of solid tumours," said Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) Lev Becker.Breast cancer advisor Meanwhile, Onchilles appointed Thomas Buchholz as a clinical advisor. He is currently the CSO of Scripps Health; he previously served as co-chair of the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Steering Committee, and held a 20-year tenure at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.As clinical advisor, Buchholz is expected to guide clinical development of N17350 in neoadjuvant settings such as HR-positive and triple-negative breast cancers.Friday's raise brings Onchilles' total series A funding to $40 million. Several new investors participated in the round, including Invivium Capital, Kennedy Lewis Investment Management and UCM Ventures, as well as existing investors LYZZ Capital Advisors and Lincoln Park Capital Fund.