Astraea

Astraea Therapeutics is a drug discovery company focused on developing novel small molecule therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, particularly addiction and pain management. The company utilizes a medicinal chemistry-driven approach to design multifunctional ligands that target various opioid receptors, including the mu, kappa, and nociceptin receptors. Their lead candidate, AT-121, is a bifunctional agonist designed to provide potent analgesia with a significantly lower risk of addiction and respiratory depression compared to traditional opioids. Astraea's research is heavily supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The company aims to address the urgent public health need for safer analgesics and effective treatments for opioid use disorder.