Highlight Therapeutics is a clinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company based in Valencia, Spain, dedicated to bringing forward novel immuno‑oncology therapies, with a special focus on derma‑oncology and RNA‑based treatments. The company, which operates through its website highlighttherapeutics.com, is pioneering a drug candidate, BO‑112, with the potential to transform certain solid tumours by reactivating immune responses in cancers that are otherwise ‘cold’ to immunotherapy.
History and Founding
Highlight Therapeutics was founded in 2010, initially under the name Bioncotech Therapeutics S.L. as a spin‑out from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). Co‑founders include Damià Tormo, PhD and María Soengas. The ownership split at the founding, according to interviews, was approximately 60% for Damià Tormo and 40% for María Soengas. Their early funding came from modest sources, often described in media as “friends, family, and fools” — typical of many early biotech spin‑outs.
In April 2020 the company changed its name officially from Bioncotech Therapeutics to Highlight Therapeutics and launched a rebranding, including a new website.
Technology & Pipeline
Highlight Therapeutics’ lead candidate is BO‑112, an intra‑lesional therapy based on synthetic double‑stranded RNA. Its mechanism is to mimic viral infection inside tumours, triggering immune alarm signals. That enables the tumour microenvironment to shift from ‘cold’ (immunologically inert) to ‘hot’ (more visible to immune system), enhancing visibility to immune cells and improving response to checkpoint inhibitors.
BO‑112 is being tested in various clinical trials (Phase 2 / proof‑of‑concept) in solid tumours. Some combinations are with established immune‑checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab, and targets include melanoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas.
In July 2025, Highlight Therapeutics launched its seventh clinical trial in advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC), in collaboration with CNIO, to evaluate BO‑112’s efficacy and safety in this most common type of skin cancer.
The company also has a focus on dermato‑oncology more broadly, aiming to revolutionise skin cancer treatments.
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Leadership & Scientific Advisory
Highlight is led by CEO Marisol Quintero, PhD, MBA, who has extensive experience in innovation and translation of academic discovery into commercial drug development.
Other senior members include Carlos Paya, MD, PhD, who serves as Executive Chairman of the Board, and Zuzana Jirakova, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer. Their Scientific Advisory Board includes well‑known international researchers such as Antoni Ribas (UCLA), Georgina Long (Melanoma Institute of Australia), Ralph R. Weichselbaum (University of Chicago), and Ignacio Melero.
Funding & Finance
Highlight Therapeutics has raised several rounds of funding and grants since its founding. Below is a table of recent five fundings / funding‑related events (publicly disclosed), amounts, lead investors, and purpose where known:
| Date | Round / Grant | Amount (EUR) | Lead Investors / Grantors | Purpose / Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | Venture round | €15 million | Columbus Venture Partners, Advent Life Sciences, and others | To accelerate clinical development of BO-112 in skin tumours and strengthen international expansion. |
| February 2021 | Venture / Series round | €22.6 million | Advent Life Sciences & Columbus Venture Partners, with support from CDTI and other existing investors | To advance BO‑112 clinical trials, especially combinations with checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumours internationally. |
| 2016 | Public grant (CDTI) | > €600,000 | Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) | Pre‑clinical and early clinical research into BO‑112. |
| 2013 | Series A (early biotech investment) | approx €11 million | DROIA Oncology Ventures (and others) | To support early development of immuno‑oncology programme BO‑112 and broader company growth. |
| 2019 | Grant / public funding | Not fully disclosed | Spanish Government / Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (project NOELIA) | To support a phase I/II clinical trial of a new therapeutic approach for solid tumours with hepatic metastasis. |
Note: Cumulative funding since founding is estimated above €45 million.
Science Discoveries & Key Publications
A central scientific discovery behind Highlight’s BO‑112 comes from the CNIO laboratory of María Soengas. In 2008, her group identified a synthetic double‑stranded RNA molecule (initially called BO‑110) that could trigger the phenomenon of autophagy in cancer cells, creating a viral mimicry and attracting immune system attention. Over time this evolved into BO‑112, refined and advanced into human clinical testing.
Such work was among the first to offer a strategy to convert immune “cold” tumours into “hot” ones — a major challenge in immuno‑oncology. BO‑112’s mechanism involves activation of innate immune sensors (double‑stranded RNA sensors) and stimulating type I interferon responses. This sets it apart from many checkpoint inhibitors which act further downstream.
For readers interested in the broader landscape, immuno-oncology research in Europe provides useful context about how novel treatments such as BO-112 fit into regulatory and clinical priorities.
Challenges & Position in the Market
While Highlight Therapeutics has made substantial progress, it faces familiar challenges for mid‑size biotech firms: demonstrating clinical efficacy in sufficiently large patient populations, regulatory approvals, commercial scaling, and competition from larger pharmaceutical companies in the immunotherapy field.
However, its location in Spain, strong ties to CNIO, and its scientific leadership confer certain advantages: access to public grants, academic collaboration, and ability to conduct clinical trials both locally and internationally. Its partnerships (e.g. with Merck & Co. and with collaborative trials in the USA) also help validate the platform.
Moreover, in July 2025 the initiation of its seventh trial (for basal cell carcinoma) underscores its momentum. This contributes to its differentiation in derma‑oncology, a field where often treatment options are limited, especially for frequent skin cancers beyond melanoma.
Impact & Future Prospects
Highlight Therapeutics sits at the intersection of several high‑priority trends in oncology:
- The growing demand for therapies that overcome checkpoint inhibitor resistance
- Interest in intratumoral therapies and local modulation of tumour microenvironment
- RNA‑based therapies, which have become especially prominent since advances in RNA vaccines and delivery technologies
If BO‑112 successfully passes through its multiple Phase 2 / proof‑of‑concept trials, especially in combination with standard checkpoint inhibitors, it could become a valuable addition in cancer therapy protocols, potentially offering new options to patients with solid tumours that do not currently respond well to immunotherapy.
Also, its development of treatments for non‑melanoma skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma may lead to faster regulatory paths and earlier commercial launch in some jurisdictions, strengthening the company both financially and clinically.
Promising biotech startup
Highlight Therapeutics exemplifies a promising European biotech startup. From its humble beginnings as a CNIO spin‑out, through early scientific discovery, to scaling with substantial investment, it has established BO‑112 as a novel candidate in immuno‑oncology, with potential to answer one of the field’s major challenges: converting immune “cold” tumours to “hot”. Its leadership, scientific advisory board, and latest clinical trials all suggest it is not resting on early successes.
For readers of Eutech Future, Highlight Therapeutics is a company to watch — both for its scientific innovation and as a case study of how biotechnology ventures in Spain can grow to international relevance.