Syndexa Pharmaceuticals is joining the herd in the Boston-area biotech hub, getting started with technology developed by Gokhan Hotamisligil at the Harvard School of Public Health. Syndexa has already raised about $4 million in a seed round to go after new therapies for chronic inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders and obesity-related conditions--including type 2 diabetes. And the company expects to garner a $15 million round in a couple of years.
"We have demonstrated that the modulation of JNK and Endoplasmic Reticulum biology has unexpected phenomenal effects on metabolic disorders," says Hotamisligil. "The company has generated important proof-of-principle data that demonstrates that small molecule compounds can be identified that can modulate the inflammatory responses associated with JNK activity and ER biology. We believe that these compounds will have robust anti-diabetic and anti-atherosclerotic activity. This not only confirms our initial research findings but also gives us confidence that a successful drug will emerge from this work."
- check out the report from The Boston Business Journal