Athira Pharma is a late clinical stage American biopharmaceutical company developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and stop the neurodegeneration brought on by diseases such as
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
and
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
. The company's lead candidate, ATH-1017, is in human studies for Alzheimer's disease as of 2021.
The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. Funding that supports the company is from both public and private investment groups including the
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by co-chairmen Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder of the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics family and led by Howard Fillit, a geriatrician and neur ...
, Dolby Family Ventures, the State of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund,
The W Fund, WRF Capital, and other private investors.
Leen Kawas served as the company's first President and CEO, but resigned in October 2021, after an independent special committee found she "altered images in scientific papers she authored."
On October 21, 2021, Mark Litton, Ph.D., M.B.A. became Chief Executive Officer.
History
The company has received financial support from venture capitalist groups and angel investors through four rounds of funding to date. Athira Pharma was known as M3 Biotechnology until it underwent a name change on April 11, 2019.
Core technology
The company's lead asset, ATH-1017, is in human trials of Alzheimer's disease as of 2021. ATH-1017 is a small molecule therapeutic specifically designed to enhance the activity of
Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) and its receptor, MET, which are expressed in normal central nervous system function. It aims to regenerate lost connections in the brain, protect brain cells from further damage, and prevent additional neuronal deterioration. ATH-1017 is currently being tested in two clinical studies: ACT-AD and LIFT-AD.
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.athira.com/
Biotechnology companies of the United States
American companies established in 2011
Companies based in Seattle
2011 establishments in Washington (state)
Biotechnology companies established in 2011