Augustine Therapeutics develops a novel class of non‑hydroxamate, non‑hydrazide small‑molecule HDAC6 inhibitors that deliver high selectivity and favorable drug‑like properties, avoiding the off‑target toxicities of earlier chemotypes. Their platform supports both peripherally restricted and brain‑penetrant candidates, enabling therapeutic exploration across neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, cardiometabolic, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases, with lead programs currently in IND‑enabling or lead‑optimization stages.
Funding
$84.1M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
9OJCNHFounders
Product
Problem
Existing HDAC6 inhibitors rely on hydroxamic acid or hydrazide chemotypes, which often exhibit poor selectivity, off‑target toxicity (cardiac, hematologic, genotoxic), and limited oral bioavailability, hindering their development for chronic neurologic and cardiometabolic diseases.
Solution
Augustine Therapeutics has engineered a novel class of non‑hydroxamate, non‑hydrazide small‑molecule HDAC6 inhibitors that achieve high selectivity and favorable drug‑like properties. Their chemotype avoids the promiscuous binding of earlier inhibitors, eliminating off‑target toxicities while maintaining potency against HDAC6’s catalytic activity. The platform supports both peripherally restricted and brain‑penetrant molecules, enabling therapeutic exploration across neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, cardiometabolic, inflammatory, and autoimmune indications. Lead programs are in IND‑enabling or lead‑optimization stages, positioning the company to advance safe, chronic‑use HDAC6 therapeutics into clinical trials.
Target Audience
Primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking partner molecules for chronic neurologic, neurodegenerative, cardiometabolic, inflammatory, or autoimmune therapeutic programs.
Features
- Novel non‑hydroxamate, non‑hydrazide chemotype delivering selective HDAC6 inhibition with minimal off‑target activity
- Improved safety profile lacking cardiotoxicity, hematotoxicity, and genotoxicity observed with traditional HDAC6 inhibitors
- Optimized oral bioavailability suitable for chronic dosing regimens
- Portfolio includes peripherally restricted molecules for neuromuscular and cardiometabolic diseases
- Brain‑penetrant candidates designed for neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS
- Advanced IND‑enabling and lead‑optimization programs with defined target indications