In this episode of Raising Biotech, host Surani Fernando explores the innovative journey of Empress Therapeutics, a biotech company aiming to transform small molecule drug discovery by harnessing the natural chemistry within the human body. After emerging from stealth mode in 2023 with $50 million in funding from Flagship Pioneering, Empress is using its proprietary Chemilogics platform to accelerate the development of new drug candidates.
Led by CEO Jason Park, Empress takes a novel approach by focusing on small molecules that naturally occur in the human body. The company’s platform identifies these molecules, which may hold therapeutic potential for a wide range of diseases. Within a year of launching their platform, Empress has already developed 15 promising drug leads. The episode delves into how their strategy aims to make the discovery process faster and more efficient, with the goal of creating treatments that are both effective and compatible with the human body.
Professor Jim Collins, a biomedical engineering expert from MIT, discusses the significance of Empress’s platform, highlighting how it uses genetic associations to identify small molecule drug leads—an approach typically reserved for biologics. This new application could represent a breakthrough in the field, particularly for treating diseases where traditional small molecule methods have struggled.
Dr. Leon Henderson MacLennan, a clinical geneticist and co-founder of InThought, provides further insights into the therapeutic targets Empress is focusing on, such as enzymes and cytokines. He explains how these targets, often associated with biologics, present opportunities for small molecules to play a complementary role in treating conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic disorders.
Empress is initially prioritizing immune-inflammatory diseases and oncology for its clinical trials, but the company’s platform has broader potential. Park outlines how their approach could be applied to a variety of indications, from metabolic diseases to neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s. The company is also exploring partnerships with larger pharmaceutical firms to support the development of treatments for complex conditions that require long clinical trial timelines.
Looking ahead, Empress’s approach of leveraging human-compatible chemistry opens up intriguing possibilities for the future of small molecule drug development.
Want to hear more about how Empress is reshaping drug discovery and their plans for future development, fundraising and partnerships? Tune in to the full episode of Raising Biotech to hear from Jason Park, Jim Collins, and Leon Henderson MacLennan on what’s potentially next for the company.
[This episode was published on 21 November 2023]