SignalChem Lifesciences

What SignalChem Lifesciences does

SignalChem Lifesciences Corporation (SLC) is a privately held, clinical-stage drug discovery and development company headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. Founded in 2012 as an expansion of SignalChem Pharmaceuticals (2004) and incorporating MetaSignal Therapeutics (2010), the company focuses exclusively on small-molecule kinase inhibitors for oncology. Its pipeline comprises four candidates — SLC-391 (AXL inhibitor, Phase 1b/2 in NSCLC), SLC-0111 (CAIX inhibitor, Phase 1b in pancreatic cancer), SLC-500 (RON inhibitor, preclinical), and SLC-600 (CSF1R inhibitor, preclinical) — built on internal capabilities in kinase biology, assay development, high-throughput screening, structure-based drug design, and medicinal chemistry. The company is positioned around overcoming therapeutic resistance and immune evasion, with SLC-0111 described as the only active CAIX small-molecule inhibitor in clinical development globally.

The company operates a B2B licensing and co-development business model rather than building commercial sales infrastructure. Revenue mechanics are driven by upfront fees, milestone payments, and royalties from pharmaceutical partners, exemplified by a $13M USD upfront from Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical for Greater China rights to SLC-391 and a clinical collaboration with Merck/MSD evaluating SLC-391 in combination with KEYTRUDA in the SKYLITE NSCLC trial. Customer concentration is high: named enterprise counterparties consist of two pharmaceutical partners (Xuanzhu, Merck) plus academic collaborators (BC Cancer Research Center, University of British Columbia) supported by MITACS Accelerate grants. The organization runs lean with an 11–50 person headcount, and in April 2024 divested its non-core bioreagent business (SignalChem Biotech) to Sino Biological for $48M USD to focus capital and management attention on the clinical pipeline.

Name

SignalChem Lifesciences

Legal name

SignalChem Lifesciences Corporation

Website

https://signalchemlifesciences.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SignalChem Lifesciences is a clinical-stage Canadian biotech developing small-molecule kinase inhibitors (AXL, CAIX, RON, CSF1R) for cancer, generating revenue through licensing deals and pharma co-development partnerships such as Merck and Xuanzhu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Collaboration Agreements: SignalChem generates revenue through upfront fees, milestone payments, and royalties from licensing its drug candidates to pharmaceutical partners. Example: $13M upfront payment from Xuanzhu for Greater China rights to SLC-391, plus additional development milestones and royalties.
2. Strategic Partnerships and Co-development: Revenue generated through co-development arrangements with pharmaceutical companies like Merck/MSD, where costs and future revenues may be shared for specific clinical programs.
3. Research Grants and Non-dilutive Funding: The company receives support from programs such as MITACS Accelerate program for academic collaborations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SignalChem Lifesciences Corporation is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company that designs and develops small-molecule kinase inhibitors (including AXL, CAIX, RON, and CSF1R inhibitors) for cancer treatment, alongside a bioreagent division. The company operates a portfolio of four clinical/preclinical drug candidates (SLC-391, SLC-0111, SLC-500, SLC-600) addressing therapeutic resistance and tumor microenvironment targeting in oncology.

Product overview

SignalChem Lifesciences is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company with a portfolio of small-molecule kinase inhibitors targeting cancer. The company operates a pipeline of four distinct drug candidates: SLC-391 (AXL inhibitor for NSCLC), SLC-0111 (CAIX inhibitor for pancreatic cancer), SLC-500 (RON inhibitor for solid tumors), and SLC-600 (CSF1R inhibitor for immunotherapy combinations). The pipeline addresses significant unmet clinical needs in oncology through targeted therapies designed to overcome therapeutic resistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SLC-391 (AXL Inhibitor) A next-generation, highly selective small-molecule AXL kinase inhibitor designed to block AXL-mediated signaling pathways involved in tumor growth, metastasis, immune evasion, and resistance to anticancer therapies. Currently in Phase 1b/2 clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with pembrolizumab. Licensed to Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical for Greater China region with $13M upfront payment.
• SLC-0111 (CAIX Inhibitor) A first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX), designed to regulate the tumor microenvironment, suppress tumor cell survival (especially tumor stem cells), and prevent cancer metastasis and recurrence. In Phase 1b clinical trial for pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine; the only active CAIX small molecule inhibitor in clinical development globally.
• SLC-500 (RON Inhibitor) A small-molecule inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinase RON (Recepteur d'Origine Nantais) belonging to the MET family, under preclinical optimization for improved potency and selectivity for solid tumor treatment.
• SLC-600 (CSF1R Inhibitor) A first-in-class CSF1R small-molecule inhibitor program aiming to develop CSF1R and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination therapy to improve ICI responsiveness and overcome ICI resistance through multifactorial modulation of immune responses.
• Bioreagent Division SignalChem Lifesciences Corporation consists of two business divisions, a bioreagent division and a drug discovery division. The bioreagent division supplies research reagents and related products to academic and industry researchers, leveraging the company's kinase protein engineering expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase I trial: SLC-391 was generally well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities at 300mg daily; 34.3% (12/35) of patients achieved stable disease with durations up to 318 days on monotherapy.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd.)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 24 September 2021Exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement for clinical development and commercialization of SLC-391 (AXL inhibitor) in Greater China region (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan). Xuanzhu paid SignalChem an upfront fee of $13,000,000 USD, with additional development milestones and royalties committed. The agreement is one of the largest agreements signed in Canada with a Chinese bio-pharma company for Chinese territory rights.
• Merck (MSD outside US and Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2021Clinical trial collaboration to evaluate SLC-391 (AXL inhibitor) in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The SKYLITE trial is a multi-centre, single arm, open-label, Phase 2 study. SignalChem and Merck conduct the study in multiple cancer centers in the US and Canada.
• MITACSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMITACS Accelerate program supporting academic collaborations between SignalChem and university researchers for drug discovery and development projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Blueprint Medicines: Precision oncology company with multiple kinase inhibitors (avapritinib, pralsetinib) targeting validated oncogenic drivers — comparable pipeline breadth and clinical-stage maturity.
• Astellas Pharma: Large pharma with multiple oncology kinase inhibitors (gilteritinib/XOSPATA targets AXL pathway) and established NSCLC commercial infrastructure relevant to SLC-391's positioning.
• Exelixis: Established oncology company with cabozantinib (multi-kinase inhibitor including AXL/MET) — a competitor in overlapping indications and combination strategies.
• Rigel Pharmaceuticals: Smaller commercial-stage biotech with kinase inhibitor pipeline (fostamatinib) in oncology — comparable size and target-class focus with established clinical infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Mirati Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology biotech with kinase inhibitor programs in NSCLC and combination strategies — comparable stage and therapeutic focus.
• Deciphera Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage kinase inhibitor oncology biotech (ripretinib/Qinlock) — similar size, clinical-stage profile, and kinase-focused discovery approach.
• BerGenBio: Clinical-stage oncology biotech developing selective AXL kinase inhibitors (bemcentinib) — the most direct mechanistic competitor to SignalChem's SLC-391 program.
• Turning Point Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology biotech developing kinase inhibitors ( repotrectinib) targeting resistance mutations — comparable stage and oncology focus.
• Arcus Biosciences: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing combinations with checkpoint inhibitors — directly comparable to SignalChem's CSF1R + ICI strategy with SLC-600.

Regional players

• Innovent Biologics: China-based biopharma with kinase inhibitors and combination oncology programs — relevant given SignalChem's China licensing strategy with Xuanzhu and serves as potential regional benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/signalchem-lifesciences-corporation-slc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SignalChem Lifesciences