Biotech startup Unnatural Products (UNP), a spring 2018 CITRIS Foundry venture founded by two UC Santa Cruz alumni, is working to break down biological barriers previously deemed impenetrable for drug delivery.
Using a unique type of molecule called a macrocycle, the company seeks to develop drugs that can cross gut and cell membranes, enabling them to access previously unreachable parts of the human body. This will allow developers to hone in on treatments for disease areas that have previously gone overlooked, such as oncology, cardiometabolic disorders and autoimmune conditions.
“Traditional approaches have failed in this space,” said Joshua Schwochert, one of the co-founders. “Our work involves understanding why nature designed certain molecular features and then remixing those lessons to create synthetic molecules tailored to address human diseases.”
UNP’s growing impact was recently recognized in a profile by the journal Nature.