Guardian Therapeutics builds aptamer‑based drugs that bind targets with picomolar‑nanomolar affinity and remain stable in serum (>120 h) and gastric fluid (>24 h). Their platform combines rapid discovery, deep sequencing, therapeutic‑grade nucleotide chemistries, and high‑throughput synthesis to create scalable candidates that can disrupt protein‑protein interactions across hematology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and oncology.
Funding
$30M 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.
Founders
Product
Problem
Many therapeutic targets, especially protein‑protein interactions, are difficult to modulate with traditional biologics due to limited affinity, poor stability, and complex manufacturing processes. This hampers drug development in areas such as hematology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and oncology.
Solution
Guardian Therapeutics develops aptamer‑based drugs that address these gaps by using short nucleic acids engineered to fold into precise three‑dimensional structures that bind target molecules with picomolar to nanomolar affinity. Their platform combines rapid aptamer discovery, deep sequencing, and therapeutic‑grade nucleotide chemistries to generate candidates that are stable in serum for over 120 hours and in gastric fluid for more than 24 hours. High‑throughput synthesis enables scalable production, while the ability of aptamers to disrupt protein‑protein interactions expands the range of druggable targets. The company focuses its pipeline on four therapeutic areas—hematology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and oncology—leveraging the unique properties of aptamers to create novel treatment options.
Target Audience
Primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies seeking novel modalities for targets in hematology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and oncology, as well as contract research organizations evaluating aptamer platforms for drug discovery.
Features
- Rapid aptamer discovery workflow integrating deep sequencing to identify high‑affinity binders
- Use of therapeutic‑relevant nucleotide chemistries that enhance serum and gastric stability
- High‑throughput chemical synthesis platform for scalable manufacturing of aptamer candidates
- Demonstrated binding affinity in the picomolar‑nanomolar range (KD = pM‑nM)
- Capability to disrupt protein‑protein interactions, expanding target space beyond conventional antibodies
- Proven in‑vitro stability: >120 hours in serum and >24 hours in simulated gastric fluid