About Us

Driven by Purpose,
Guided by Science

Popcorn was founded by the scientists who published the preclinical case for DNX2401 in DMG, ran the first clinical trial, and observed clinical activity in a pediatric patient. We didn't start a company — we continued the work.

Mission

A Company Born From Necessity

DMG is biologically unlike any other pediatric tumor — it infiltrates the brainstem, cannot be resected, and is nearly universally fatal within 12 months. Every treatment that works elsewhere fails here. Our founders spent years understanding why, and built POP02 to address the specific barriers that make DMG so hard to treat: an immunosuppressive microenvironment, limited viral spread, and the blood-brain barrier.

"We started Popcorn because we had the science, the data, and the clinical evidence. The only thing missing was a company willing to take it to patients."

— The Founders

Researcher pipetting into a 12-well cell culture plate

Leadership

The Founding Team

Scroll to meet the founders

CSO & Founder

Marta M.
Alonso, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer and lead architect of the adenoviral popcorn platform. World-leading expert in oncolytic adenovirus engineering and DMG biology. Senior author on landmark publications in New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer Cell and the nature portfolio.

COO & Founder

Iker
Ausejo-Mauleon, PhD

Chief Operating Officer overseeing development strategy and operations. First-author of the 2023 Cancer Cell paper establishing TIM3 as a key immunosuppressive target in DMG — the scientific basis for POP02's TIM3 antagonist payload. Developer of the POP02 program.

Founder

Ana Patiño
Garcia, PhD

Geneticist and strategic expert in biomarker discovery for the Popcorn platform. International authority in cancer genomics and pediatric precision medicine. Senior author on high-impact publications in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nature Genetics, and The Lancet Oncology.

Founder

Jaime Gallego
Pérez-Larraya, MD PhD

Neuro-oncologist and lead investigator of the DNX2401 Phase I clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2022). Leader of the pioneering clinical trial that, for the first time in the world, administered an oncolytic virus to the brainstem of a child with a brain tumor.

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Scientific Advisory Board

World-Class Scientific Guidance

Juan Fueyo, MD Director of Neuro-Oncology UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, MD Professor of Neuro-Oncology UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

Nicholas Vitanza, MD Professor of Oncology Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer

Matt Dun, PhD Professor of Paediatric Haematology University of Newcastle, Australia

Guillermo Aldave, MD PhD Professor of Neurosurgery Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor

Jasper van der Lugt, MD Director Neuro-Oncology Princess Maxima Center

Backing

Supported by Leading Institutions

Popcorn Therapeutics operates within a strong institutional network that provides non-dilutive funding, laboratory infrastructure, and GMP-capable manufacturing access — reducing cash burn and extending investor runway.

CIMA University of Navarra

Host institution providing the specialized laboratory infrastructure and world-class scientific environment in which Popcorn Therapeutics' core technology was pioneered.

Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN)

Originating clinical institution and host site. Offers direct access to multidisciplinary medical expertise and clinical validation, bridging the gap between bench research and patient care.

CEIN (European Business and Innovation Centre of Navarra)

Strategic business incubator. Supports the spin-off's corporate growth through specialized acceleration programs, infrastructure, and integration into the regional innovation ecosystem.

Driven by Purpose,Guided by Science

A Company Born From Necessity

The Founding Team

Marta M.Alonso, PhD

IkerAusejo-Mauleon, PhD

Ana PatiñoGarcia, PhD

Jaime GallegoPérez-Larraya, MD PhD