Underdog Pharmaceuticals’ success means its name needs to change. Enter Cyclarity, which takes up residence in state-of-the-art labs at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
From Underdog to top dog? The biotech formerly known as Underdog remains exactly on track to commence human clinical trials for UDP-003 in 2023, and now, at the halfway point of 2022, and nearing this critical goal, the company has realised that in the race to cure atherosclerosis, it has become rather hard to refer to itself as the underdog. The company has solved this problem with a name change and is now Cyclarity Therapeutics.
Longevity.Technology: Cyclarity is now the brand under which the team will strive to cure heart disease and to make its mark in the field of aging, keeping as its focus the clearance of toxic oxysterols and other by-products of aging. The company, which has Kizoo Technology Ventures as a lead investor, develops simple and direct interventions targeting oxidised cholesterol using rationally-designed molecules, and aims to provide the first true disease-modifying treatments for common age-related conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. Its products are based on novel derivatives of a well-known, safe compound and a new way of looking at cardiovascular disease.
Michael Kope, CEO and Co-founder of Cyclarity told Longevity.Technology: “We really enjoyed the ‘Underdog’ brand when we launched, evoking as it did the newcomer to the race who could succeed in the end, and giving a nod to our focus on the underlying causes of aging. And that success has come as fast as we could wish.
“Now that we’re looking to human trials in our near future, we’ve sought to create a brand that both refers to our core technology, and suggests to our partners a long-term vision for the future of the treatment of age-related diseases.”
But why make one big announcement, when you can make two?
With the ink on its rebranding not yet dry, Cyclarity Therapeutics has just completed the move of its research and operations to the state-of-the-art labs at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. The company presented the progress of its lead program to the President and Senior Officers of the Buck Institute earlier this year, and they extended an offer of tenancy.
Cyclarity’s relationship with the Buck Institute offers not only access to a variety of important core facilities, but it should offer an excellent opportunity for Cyclarity to expand its collaborations and relationships with many world leaders in cardiovascular disease and the field of aging as a whole.
