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Bladder cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer in the US in men (ninth in women) with an overall mortality of 20%. It has the highest lifetime treatment cost per patient as well as high rates of both reoccurrence and progression. Current therapies have limited efficacy and there is a significant unmet clinical and market need for new chemotherapy products. The aim of this study was to finalize a novel formulation of docetaxel, a well-established chemotherapy, to improve its retention in the bladder.  A spin-off company, Sitka BioPharma, was created to advance this formulation.  The final product candidate has been defined along with a well-developed clinical study plan that is expected to move the product forward to testing in human clinical trials. Quark Venture has made a significant seed investment in Sitka Biopharma (< $2M, plus Phase 1 clinical trial costs in multiple jurisdictions).