NapaJen

About NapaJen

NapaJen Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2004 by Kazuo Sakurai and Hironori Randy Ando. The company operates from its headquarters in Burlingame, California, with its research and development center located in Tokyo. NapaJen is focused on developing therapeutics for immune-related conditions by addressing a significant challenge in the pharmaceutical industry: the efficient and targeted delivery of oligonucleotide-based drugs. Oligonucleotides often face issues like high instability, low bioavailability, and poor cellular uptake, which has historically limited their therapeutic potential.

The company's core asset is a proprietary drug delivery platform technology that enables the stable and selective delivery of oligonucleotide compounds to specific immune cells. This platform centers on schizophyllan, a beta-glucan that binds to the Dectin-1 receptor found on antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. By complexing oligonucleotide drugs with schizophyllan, NapaJen can efficiently target these key regulators of the immune response, which allows for either precision-targeted immunosuppression or controlled immuno-stimulation. This technology significantly shortens the timeline from target gene identification to lead optimization.

NapaJen's business model encompasses both internal drug development and strategic partnerships. The company collaborates with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, offering its delivery technology to help develop their partners' oligonucleotide drug candidates. Additionally, NapaJen seeks licensing opportunities for its own clinical programs. The company has secured approximately $37.9 million in total funding over four rounds, with its latest Series C round in January 2019 raising $12.4 million from investors including INCJ, Mitsui & Co. Global Investment, and P & E Directions. This funding was allocated to advance the clinical development of its lead drug candidate, NJA-730.

NJA-730 is an intravenously administered therapeutic agent being developed for the prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious complication that can occur after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This drug combines an anti-CD40 small interfering RNA (siRNA) with the company's beta-glucan delivery technology. In late 2018, NapaJen initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of NJA-730 in healthy subjects. Beyond GVHD, the company is also exploring preclinical programs in immuno-oncology and vaccine adjuvants.