Investing in Isoform Oncology: On a mission to treat the untreatable
At Zinc, we back founders who are committed to tackling the toughest health challenges of our time. That’s why I’m excited to share our investment in Isoform Oncology, an innovative new venture developing next-generation antibody therapeutics for patients who currently have no effective cancer treatment options.
Founded by scientist-entrepreneurs Dr Sarah Morgan and Dr Lee Larcombe, Isoform is reimagining precision oncology with a novel approach: targeting cancer-specific protein isoforms, unique versions of common proteins that emerge through alternative splicing and appear selectively in cancer cells. This is a scientific opportunity that has existed for decades but is only now becoming viable, thanks to breakthroughs in data availability, computational biology, and antibody engineering.
Targeting the gaps in cancer treatment
While precision oncology has made headlines in recent years, the reality is that only 14% of cancer patients have access to the most targeted therapies. And of those, only half see a clinical response. Isoform’s mission is to focus on the patients being left behind: those with common cancers that become resistant to treatment and for whom existing therapies simply do not work.
Isoform’s first target is a difficult-to-treat subgroup of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), a population of around 1,000 women in the UK each year who are left without options when existing therapies fail. Isoform is developing an antibody that binds to novel splice junctions – specific markers found only in these aggressive tumour cells – to deliver a therapeutic payload with precision.
This scientific innovation addresses a long-standing challenge in oncology, eliminating tumour cells without damaging healthy tissue.
A journey two decades in the making
Isoform’s story is grounded in scientific ambition and a deep personal commitment. Sarah and Lee met over 25 years ago while doing their PhDs. The foundational science behind Isoform emerged during that time, but the ecosystem wasn’t ready. It’s only now, with advances in public cancer data and a growing recognition of the importance of isoform biology, that Sarah and Lee’s long-held vision can be realised.
Building on two decades of work in academia, research and founding other ventures, the timing has aligned with this opportunity to return to the lab to build a category defining venture with the potential for enormous impact. With their complementary expertise – Sarah as a cancer biologist and Lee as a serial entrepreneur with deep computational biology expertise – they’ve brought Isoform to life.
Building with people at the centre
Sarah and Lee are not just building a product, they’re building a company grounded in kindness, opportunity, and inclusion. They envision Isoform Oncology growing into a place where scientific excellence is matched by a commitment to human values and team development.
This people-first philosophy resonates deeply with us here at Zinc. It has been one of our key principles since day one and reflects the kind of leadership we know is essential for enduring impact.
“As founders, we share a desire to bring people together and make a significant impact in cancer care. We think cancer patients need more and deserve precise treatments that are on target, on time, every time.
Throughout our careers, we have always seen science as a community activity bringing together like-minded people – technical, computational and scientific experts, clinicians, patients and their families. We now have an opportunity to do the science we love, working to make a real difference to people in need, and we are excited to be able to take the next steps in Isoform’s journey together with Zinc.”
– Dr Sarah Morgan, Founder, Isoform Oncology
The road ahead
Isoform has already hit milestones many biotech ventures don’t reach until a seed round: a functioning prototype antibody, generated through bootstrapped lab work and computational analysis based on hundreds of cancer datasets. With this pre-seed investment, they will now complete in-cell validation, begin sourcing patient samples, and optimise their molecule for clinical readiness.
From there, Isoform aims to expand their platform to other difficult-to-treat cancers, including bowel, gastric, and glioblastoma. The goal is to reach the millions of cancer patients with common diagnoses and uncommon biology, people who are currently falling through the cracks of modern oncology.
Why Zinc is backing Isoform Oncology
We back founders with deep expertise, resilience and a unique perspective on a hard-to-solve challenge. Sarah and Lee have all three in abundance. Isoform’s approach stands out not only for its scientific innovation, but for its strategic focus on real, unmet clinical needs, its scalable platform, and the founders’ deep lived expertise in both the science and in venture building.
They’re building for the patients who have been told there are no more options, and we believe their work has the potential to transform lives at scale. We couldn’t be more excited to be their partner on this journey.
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Building and commercialising Science-for-Impact: If you would like to follow in Sarah and Lee’s footsteps to build the next world-changing innovation in health or the environment, apply for pre-seed investment and venture building support from Zinc today: https://www.zinc.vc/
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