AKAVA Therapeutics develops first-in-class small molecule therapeutics targeting unmet needs in neurodegeneration and oncology. The company focuses on inhibition strategies, including protein aggregation inhibitors, enzyme inactivators, and cancer inhibitors. Their pipeline aims to improve patient quality of life through novel therapeutic interventions for diseases like ALS.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Many neurodegenerative diseases and cancers involve protein aggregation, enzymatic dysfunction, and uncontrolled tumor growth, leading to significant unmet medical needs and limited treatment options. Current therapies often provide minimal benefit or have severe side effects.
Solution
Akava Therapeutics is developing first-in-class, small molecule therapeutics designed to inhibit key drivers of neurodegeneration and cancer. Their approach focuses on inhibiting protein aggregation, specific enzymes, and tumor growth to address the underlying causes of these diseases. The lead compound, AKV9, is a protein aggregation inhibitor shown to improve the health of upper motor neurons affected by diseases like ALS. Other programs target ornithine aminotransferase to inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma and neuronal nitric oxide synthase to combat neurodegeneration and melanoma. These inhibition therapeutics aim to provide more effective treatments with improved patient outcomes.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, PLS, HSP, and ALS/FTLD, as well as individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma and melanoma.
Features
- AKV9, a protein aggregation inhibitor, improves the health of diseased upper motor neurons in ALS models.
- AKV9 reduces misfolded SOD1 aggregation and TDP-43 pathology in ALS.
- AKV9 enhances axon length, branching, and arborization in vitro, especially when combined with riluzole or edaravone.
- Ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) inactivators inhibit secretion of alpha-fetoprotein, a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- OAT inhibitors demonstrate the ability to inhibit the growth of HCC in mice implanted with human HCC.
- Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitors reduce nitric oxide production, potentially treating neurodegeneration and melanoma.
- nNOS inhibitors diminish PD-L1 expression, acting as small molecule checkpoint immunotherapeutics in melanoma.