“The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new discoveries - is not ‘Eureka!’, but ‘That’s funny.’” – Isaac Asimov

Many scientists would agree with Asimov’s elevating the “funny” above the “eureka”. This is the way science works: new breakthroughs often generate more questions than answers, and implicit in each leap to a new discovery lie many years of incremental research.

As scientists, we have been trained to identify “funny” moments in pursuit of the rare eureka moment. That rare moment came for the founders of Remedy Plan in 2012, when Ron Parchem shared his discoveries and insights on embryonic stem cell development with his colleague and former Berkeley classmate, Greg Crimmins. When he recognized that these insights and other breakthroughs in embryonic stem cell biology had implications for measuring similar properties in cancer cells, Greg realized they were on to something big, something eureka-sized.

“The scope of it blew my mind,” recalls Greg, “I couldn’t imagine a more important series of experiments that needed to be done.” The series of experiments he had in mind could lead to the development of new cancer drugs that target the spreading properties in cancer cells without introducing the toxic side-effects associated with established cancer therapies.

Beginning in 2013, Greg dedicated himself to building a company that would identify and develop Cancer Containment Therapy.

While traditional therapies attack both cancer cells and healthy cells, the big idea behind Cancer Containment Therapy is that it targets the ability of cancer cells to spread. Because these abilities are shared by many types of cancers but not by healthy mature cells, Cancer Containment Therapy would be applicable to multiple types of cancer without being toxic, including cancers of the breast, lung, liver, prostate, skin, and brain.

Remedy Plan was formed to ensure these exciting scientific ideas get turned into the first drugs that effectively and specifically stop the spread of cancer. Remedy Plan has constructed the first generation of applicable technology and conducted its first pilot drug screen. The results of the drug screen were promising and further solidified the team’s commitment to the development of a viable cancer inhibiting drug.

Remedy Plan — a small startup biotech company attempting to push through the difficult drug discovery process, reshape cancer therapy, and change the world (no less) - is a bit of an experiment in and of itself. It may be a long road from “Eureka!” to putting a drug in the hands of a patient, but we believe it will be worth every step. We hope you’ll join us as we travel that road.