Gencia

About Gencia

Gencia Biotech, founded in 2002 by Shaharyar Khan and Allen Cunningham, is a biopharmaceutical firm headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, that focuses on mitochondrial biology to develop new therapeutics. The company specializes in creating small-molecule mitochondrial agonists of the glucocorticoid receptors (MAGRs), which are chemically different from conventional steroids. These MAGR therapies aim to treat hematological and inflammatory diseases with the effectiveness of steroids but without their significant side effects, showing promise for patients who are steroid-resistant.

Operating in stealth mode after its founding, Gencia became operational in 2010. A significant milestone occurred in September 2015 when Gencia entered a partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company worth up to $500 million. This collaboration was established to advance two preclinical drug candidates, one for inflammation and another for cancer, leveraging Takeda's clinical development and commercialization expertise. As part of the agreement, Gencia received upfront payments and is eligible for further milestones and royalties on sales. Gencia's business model is centered on early-stage discovery and preclinical work, intending to partner with pharmaceutical companies for later-stage development. The company's proprietary discovery platform identifies a mitochondrial target or pathway and then uses structural biology and its mitochondrial targeting chemistry to design new MAGRs.

Before its notable collaboration with Takeda, Gencia had secured approximately $5.73 million in funding over six rounds, with its first round on April 29, 2009. One of its developments includes rhTFAM, a drug designed to address Alzheimer's disease. Another area of focus has been a mitochondrial transcription factor A modulator for treating mitochondrial diseases. The company's work also led to the transfer of mitochondrial uncoupling assets to Rivus Pharmaceuticals, a separate entity where Gencia is a shareholder and Cunningham serves as a director.