OyaGen

OyaGen has developed first-in-class small molecule leads that target the HIV Vif protein to enable innate immunity against all clades of HIV. Their lead compound O2–16 has shown broad neutralization of all strains of HIV in preclinical models and additive efficacy with existing anti-HIV drugs. The company’s second major asset, Oya1, was originally discovered as a broad-spectrum microbicide with activity against Ebola and coronaviruses. Both programs are at the IND-enabling/preclinical stage. The company’s approach leverages unique gene-editing enzyme biology to identify novel druggable targets in infectious diseases and cancer.