One-Liner

Fission Pharma is developing a protein-protein interaction inhibitor drug that cuts the link between chronic inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction to treat multiple age-related and neurodegenerative diseases to extend human lifespan. Referenced from VitaDAO VDP-143

Cerebrum DAO Deal Team

• Senior reviewers: VitaDAO, including two entrepreneurs, an executive, a VC, and a professor, provided a review update.
• Shepherd(s): Maryna Polyakova, Brian Magierski
• Squad Members: Brett Abrahams, Yatan Blumenthal Vargas
• Sourced by: VitaDAO, Maryna Polyakova, Brian Magierski

Project Team

• Principal Investigator: Luis Rios, PhD
• VitaDAO Entrepreneur In Residence/Project Manager: Anthony Schwartz, Ph.D.

Summary Deal Analysis

Robustness of science

• The target is validated in multiple animal models, first hit generated and patented at Stanford, with confirmed efficacy across 11 diseases

Fit with DAO Purpose

• Drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases

Current focus

• Fits to the current focus Mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation

Technical feasibility

• The team presented a convincing plan and external partners for the project execution according to the milestones

IP situation

• IP/NFT deal

Team assessment

• Full team, advisors, external partnerships

Relevance to Brain Health

P110 peptide has been shows to improve disease-specific phenotypes in mouse models of ALS, AD, Huntington Disease

Simple Summary

(from VDP-143 referenced above) Fission Pharma is creating the first drug-like small molecule P110 mimetics. P110 is a mito-protective peptide originating from Stanford University [1]. The efficacy of P110 in treating neurodegenerative and cardiac disease is supported by 13 years of research, resulting in 20 scientific publications across 11 disease models and collaboration with 15 independent labs globally. P110 has highly generalized anti-degenerative activity, increasing lifespan in mouse models of neurodegeneration (HD [2-5], ALS [5-6], AD [5, 7, 8], PD [1], MS, stroke, and scrapie) and also a model of ischemic heart disease [9]. Dr. Luis Rios published the first small molecule P110 mimetics in 2023 [10] and showed comparable efficacy to P110 in mouse models of ALS and sepsis. These inhibitors have a unique property, they inhibit the downstream pathological consequences of inflammation without inhibiting immune signals. These compounds aim to be the first effective and generalized orally available and brain penetrant treatments for chronic inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, critical hallmarks of aging, and may do so without causing immunosuppression, the limiting factor in chronic inflammation treatment. The most tractable go-to-market strategy will be in a rare neurodegenerative disease (ALS) and they will expand to age-related degenerative indications such as AD and ischemic heart disease, the major limiting factors in human lifespan.

Funding Milestones

Cerebrum DAO Neuroscience Deal Flow group has recommended the proposal for funding with the following conditions: co-funding the company-building project, initiated and funded with $250,000 from VitaDAO for 60% of the IP-NFT and $83,333 from Cerebrum DAO in exchange for the 20% share of the resulting IP-NFT.

The funding should be transferred in tranches, based on the milestones. As the result, the project should move from PRL 2 (validated hypothesis in animal studies) to PRL 4 (Initial hits identified, leads are effective in the secondary screen in neurons).

Full details are available here in this document