Emerging Biotech

Jabez Biosciences

Jabez Biosciences is a US-Based biotech developing a potential best-in-class small molecule inhibitor of DHODH that they’re using to augment existing pipelines.

Company Snapshot

Overview

Indication: Initially focusing on AML and MM – broad oncology applicability in long-term

Unmet need: Innovation has become highly cumbersome. Oncology is in desperate need of cost-effective, scalable solutions that can enhance clinical outcomes.

Jabez’s Approach: Small molecule DHODH inhibitor (JBZ-001) that acts as a “pipeline catalyst” to boost existing therapeutic regimens.

Real-World Impact: Improves response depth and duration across regimens without adding clinical or operational burden.

Jabez’s Team: Team is composed of seasoned industry veterans with decades of industry experience and multiple FDA approvals.

Clinical Development

Lead Program: Small molecule DHODH inhibitor, JBZ-001

Delivery Route: Oral, once-daily formulation

Stage: Phase 1 trial JBZ-001 single-agent; initiated early 2025; advanced solid tumors + NHL

Current Status: Ongoing dose-escalation study to establish single-agent safety, PK/PD.

Impact & Market Opportunity

Incidence: ~22,000 new AML cases/year (U.S.); ~35,000 new MM cases/year

Market Growth (AML): $3.8B in 2025, projected to reach $5.0B by 2029. Sources below.

Market Growth (MM): $9.7B in 2023 (daratumumab); projected $14.7B by 2030 Sources below.

Major Drivers: Rising demand for combination strategies in relapsed/refractory settings; interest in agents that extend utility of approved therapies

Expansion Potential: JBZ-001 enhances existing SOC regimens, with cross-indication potential and broad applicability in combo protocols

Company Overview: Jabez Biosciences

Jabez Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a small molecule inhibitor of DHODH. This thing is a great example of (what I am calling) a “pipeline catalyst” – more on this in a little bit.

Jabez is led by experienced industry veterans, CEO Tamara Jovonovich and COO Rob Lewis, who bring extensive backgrounds in pharmaceutical development and company leadership. The company has rapidly advanced its lead compound, JBZ-001, a DHODH inhibitor acquired from Ohio State University, into a phase 1 clinical trial – more info in clinical development section, below.

Jabez’s leadership team seems to be leaning into the idea that improving clinical outcomes for cancer patients doesn’t necessarily require revolutionary new technologies but instead can be achieved by augmenting existing therapies through strategic combinations.

Jabez Biosciences - Major Sections

The Medical Need

Oncology Needs Practical Innovation

We live in an era where innovation is often synonymous with complexity – cell therapies, synthetic receptors, bispecific antibodies, CRISPR, etc.

That’s all great and exciting. But it also comes with trade-offs: insane costs, manufacturing bottlenecks, narrow patient eligibility, and operational complexity that makes clinical progress slow and painful.

So, the problem isn’t just that outcomes are poor – a seemingly deeper problem is that progress has gotten too complicated, too expensive, and too risky. What we need now are practical innovations that fit into the real-world clinical landscape – efficient, synergistic, and scalable – a therapeutic class that we (at Oncoleader) are calling pipeline catalysts.

A pipeline catalyst is a therapeutic designed not to replace existing treatments, but to amplify their effectiveness – safely, scalably, and without adding complexity. These agents work by enhancing the biological impact of standard-of-care regimens, offering a practical way to boost outcomes across multiple indications.

JBZ-001 is a clear example of this approach: a “lightweight” enhancer that integrates seamlessly into current oncology protocols while maintaining simplicity in design, delivery, and clinical application.

JBZ-001: A Small Molecule DHODH Inhibitor w/ Some Tricks Up It's Sleeve

First, the basics:

JBZ-001 is a small molecule inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a mitochondrial enzyme essential for the production of nucleotides – the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells and activated immune cells, have a high demand for nucleotides and are particularly sensitive to disruptions in this pathway.

By selectively inhibiting DHODH, JBZ-001 effectively cuts off the supply chain these cells rely on, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in highly proliferative malignancies.

Due to their ability to kill rapidly dividing cells, DHODH inhibitors have been, historically, used to treat autoimmune disorders – to hinder immune cell activity. However, DHODH inhibition would also have significant activity in cancer, for obvious reasons.

However, when it comes to treating cancer, JBZ-001 isn’t just cytotoxic – it’s synergistic.

Specifically:

In AML, it promotes the differentiation of immature myeloid cells, targeting the core biology of the disease regardless of mutational subtype. As such, it shows synergy with frontline AML therapies like FLT3 inhibitors and hypomethylating agents in mouse models of AML.
Also, JBZ-001 has been shown to induce CD38 upregulation, enhancing the efficacy of CD38-targeting antibodies such as daratumumab.

You can dive into Jabez’s preclinical data here.

With these attributes, JBZ-001 exemplifies one of the core tenets of a pipeline catalyst – its an efficient and practical therapeutic that enhances the effectiveness of existing treatments.

Clinical Development

Jabez Bio: Pipeline Overview

Phase 1 Trial: JBZ-001 Single Agent in Advanced Solid Tumors and NHL

Discovery

Preclinical

Early-Stage Clinical

Late-Stage Clinical

Example Title

The company is currently enrolling for an open-label, dose-escalation and expansion, first-in-human trial to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of JBZ-001, in patients with advanced solid and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL).

Trial rationale

Jabez Biosciences’ decision to pursue a Phase 1 clinical trial of JBZ-001 in patients with advanced solid tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is likely due to a strategic effort to establish the compound’s safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in a broader range of malignancies. By starting with a dose-escalation study in refractory solid tumors and NHL, Jabez can establish foundational safety data while paving the way for future combination trials in both hematologic and solid malignancies.

JBZ-001 + CD38-Targeting mAbs in Multiple Myeloma (MM)

Discovery

Preclinical

Early-Stage Clinical

Late-Stage Clinical

Example Title

Jabez’s preclinical data showing that JBZ-001 will potently synergize with CD38-targeting antibodies supports the initiation of a phase 1 trial. They expect to raise funds to initiate a phase 1 clinical trial in r/r MM sometime in 2025.

Impact & Market Opportunity

Market Breakdown: AML and Multiple Myeloma

AML and MM represent significant unmet clinical needs, particularly in the relapsed/refractory (r/r) setting.

First, AML:

According the American Cancer Society, in the U.S., AML affects approximately 22,010 new patients annually, with a five-year survival rate of only 28% in adults. Due to JBZ-001’s ability to induce the differentiation of AML cells, it offers a promising method of improving clinical outcomes, independent of disease subtype and regardless of the therapeutic it is used in combination with – opening up the entire AML market.

The AML therapeutics market is projected to grow from $3.79 billion in 2025 to $5.02 billion by 2029, primarily being driven by demand for novel therapies that address resistance to current treatments.

Now, MM:

In MM, CD38-targeting antibodies – daratumumab and isatuximab – dominate the treatment landscape, with the daratumumab market alone expected to grow from $9.7 billion in 2023 to $14.7 billion by 2030.

These antibodies are widely used across treatment lines but face limitations in efficacy for relapsed/refractory patients. JBZ-001’s unique ability to enhance CD38 expression on cancer cells positions it as a valuable adjuvant, potentially amplifying the efficacy of these established therapies and extending remissions for these patients.

Together, these opportunities highlight JBZ-001’s potential to make a meaningful impact in two high-value oncology markets.

Invest in Jabez Bio

Jabez Biosciences is offering a unique pre-IPO investment opportunity for those looking to be part of their journey.

With their lead compound, JBZ-001, already in Phase 1 clinical trials, the company is poised to disrupt the cancer treatment landscape through its “pipeline catalyst” approach – developing scalable, safe, and synergistic therapies. Jabez’s rapid progress, coupled with promising preclinical data demonstrating JBZ-001’s best-in-class potency and safety, positions the company for significant growth in, not only the AML and CD38 antibody market (outlined above), but also in the broader $250 billion global oncology market.

This investment opportunity allows early stakeholders to support a cutting-edge therapeutic platform while potentially benefiting from the company’s future success as it advances toward commercialization and broader clinical applications.