Restoring sulfide-mediated protective metabolism in metabolic disease and myopathies
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics' first-in-class first-in-mechanism mitochondriotropic platform has the potential to address some of the most challenging diseases, focusing initially on obesity-related indications and myopathies, and expandable to broad additional areas of medicine. ¶¶Òõapp’s restoration-of-function the sulfide-signaling system in metabolic disease models has been independently demonstrated to be both anti-obesogenic and muscle-protective.
Based in Oxford and Exeter, UK, ¶¶Òõapp is developing a pipeline of pre-clinical programs to progress to the clinic. Built around the pioneer of mitochondrial-targeted sulfide donor technology, Prof Matt Whiteman PhD, the team is highly skilled in small molecule drug discovery and development as well as IP strategy.
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics' mtH2SD technology is based on over a decade’s work, and over twenty publications demonstrating pharmacological utility of mitochondrial-targeted sulfide donors in multiple in vivo models.
Multiple peer-reviewed publications since 2014 have proven beyond a doubt that trans-sulfuration dysfunction is a feature of several progressive metabolic diseases, myopathies, lung inflammatory disease and rare indications as part of a shared pathophysiology preventing escape from mitochondrial dysfunction.
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics mtH2SD approach reverses such mitochondrial dysfunction, enabling us to overcome mitochondrial-driven disease states which lead to muscle weakness, muscle wasting, cognitive deficit and neurodegeneration.
- Professor Matt Whiteman PhD, CSO
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The ideal mitochondrial medicine mechanism of action should:
• Restore mitochondrial function by modulating key mitochondrial metabolic transactivators which are under-activated in the target disease
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• Simultaneously act at epigenetic, transcriptional and post-translational levels
• Be subject to safe enzymatic release within the mitochondria, avoiding rapid, abiotic or systemic releaseâ€
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics' proprietary technology exploits an endogenous mechanism which mediates sulfide-signaling, having the effect of substrate replenishment in states of trans-sulfuration deficiency omnipresent in several diseases and certain medical conditions, resulting in the restoration of adaptive metabolism.
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While sulfide is rapidly metabolised, our products are potent and highly targeted, resulting in small and safe doses.
Disclosed Pipeline
Work with us
¶¶Òõapp's pioneering new modality is the first potential medicine to functionally restore sulfide-signaling, which is mediated by the S-persulfidation post-translational modification of proteins. Our approach offers the opportunity to restore essential signaling events needed for protective metabolism to halt or reverse progression in multiple diseases where such sulfide-signaling impairment drives pathophysiology.
There are research collaboration and partnering opportunities in our core programs in obesity-related indication and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with additional opportunities in the lung inflammatory diseases including IPF, CBS-deficiency and neurodegenerative disease including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, as well as prevention of muscle wasting in sarcopenia, cancer cachexia and COPD cachexia.
our talents
¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics' mission is to arrest or profoundly delay progressive diseases featuring secondary mitochondrial dysfunction as the mediator of morbidity and mortality via restoration of sulfide-signaling dependent adaptive metabolism.
Our core team is expert in sulfide-biology, IP strategy, entrepreneurship, rare diseases, pharmacology, pre-clinical and clinical development, as well as partnering and business development.
Glyn was appointed Chairman of ¶¶Òõapp Therapeutics in February 2022. He is also non-executive director at OxSonics & Orthoson. Glyn previously served as CEO of Summit Therapeutics plc 2012-2020 where he restructured the business, took the company through a NASDAQ listing and took its Duchenne muscular dystrophy  (DMD) clinical development program through late-stage trials. Prior to joining Summit, he served as interim CEO of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), and as CEO at Antisoma plc, a biotech company specialising in the development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer from 1998 to 2011. Glyn was awarded an MBE for his services to the biotechnology industry in 2006.
Physician with long-term experience in healthcare venture capital in operating, leadership and board roles at LifeArc, MTI, Cambridge Enterprise and RYSE Asset Management including establishment of new fund after senior roles at GSK and Roche.
16 years in industry including business development for Takeda Pharma Rare Diseases, VC deal sourcing for LSP.vc, successfully advising Ducentis BioTherapeutics on fundraising. Tranformative decade as spin-out CEO of leading biotech network OBN/BioTrinity. PKD patient charity trustee. Researched metabolic engineering at Oxford.
Experienced leader in biotech IP, skilled in patent law, technology evaluation and competitive intelligence. Previously Head of IP at Adaptimmune ($ADAP). Pharmacologist with 28 years industry experience who has taken two drugs from bench to market at TopoTarget (now Onxeo), research training at Yale and Cornell.
Supporting ¶¶Òõapp strategic medchem and external relations. Independent medchem and drug discovery consultant supporting investors, biotech and pharma since 2018 following a 30-year career at GSK as a Senior Research Director
Co-founder of Mission Therapeutics with 25 years’ industry experience including Sanofi, Hybrigenics and KuDOS/ AZ, with a track record in early-stage discovery and development spanning many therapeutic fields.
Over 25 years of global experience in business development, licensing, and strategic partnerships within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with a successful track record of executing partnerships and fundraising. Senior BD roles at industry leaders such as Bayer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he led European business development, and Almirall, where he led BD and external innovation and licensing. Dr. Gaal also serves as CFO and Head of Business Development at Circio Holding ASA. Research and science training at University of California, Berkeley
Qualified and experienced FD with venture-backed company experience. Venture fundraising track record securing significant funding rounds and aligning financial strategies to support organisational growth and clinical programs, M&A including reverse takeover and IPO-readiness, including £40m Series A at Oxular biotech and subsequent trade sale to Regeneron (2024).
Led research teams of up to 30 preclinical scientists at Immunocore and Synaptix Bio, successful IND/CTA and BLA submissions.
Experienced and highly skilled medicinal chemist from within the Whiteman and Wood Labs, specialized in the synthesis and in vitro testing of new mitochondrial-targeted hydrogen sulfide-releasing compounds with over 30 publications already including conference presentations.
30 years' experience developing clinical strategies and alliance management with UCB, ProSensa, Parexel and Abbott including over a decade consulting to innovative biotechs, including significant experience in NMD.
Former CTO at Sosei-Heptares, 33-year career including two decades at GSK as Senior Director Drug Discovery Operations.
Consultant with 20 years experience in pharma at companies such as Adaptimmune, Syntaxin (now part of Ipsen), Amphista, Grey Wolf, Cardinal Health and Patheon. Expertise in discovery, preclinical, clinical and commercial preparedness programmes.
Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, University of Exeter Medical School. Previous positions include Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (2000  - 2007) and visiting professor (Physiology, 2018). Other visiting professorships / scholar include the University of Christchurch, (New Zealand; 2006) and Siriraj Hospital / Mahidol University (Thailand, 2018). Key to elucidating the role of H2S in vivo and invented the first mitochondrial-targeted sulfide delivery molecules. Grant awards totally £6 m for mitochondrial H2S rescue of disease. > 20 years’ experience of redox biochemistry and pharmacology. 180 + publications, H-index = 80.
