Syndexa Pharmaceuticals

About Syndexa Pharmaceuticals

Syndexa Pharmaceuticals was a biopharmaceutical company established in 2005, with operations based in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company was co-founded by President and CEO Teo Uysal, and scientific founder Professor Gokhan Hotamisligil from the Harvard School of Public Health. Syndexa was built upon technology developed by Dr. Hotamisligil at Harvard, focusing on the link between inflammation, fat cells, and metabolic diseases. Mr. Uysal brought a blend of scientific and business experience to the venture, having started his career as a scientist at Harvard conducting biomedical research in metabolic diseases before moving into life sciences venture capital and management.

The company's core business was the discovery and development of a new generation of small-molecule drugs. These drugs were designed to target the biological interface between inflammatory and metabolic pathways, a novel mechanism for treating and preventing a range of conditions. Syndexa's research was specifically aimed at diseases related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction, which includes metabolic diseases like obesity-induced Type II diabetes and atherosclerosis, as well as inflammatory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. The company's discovery platform focused on targets such as the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the modulation of ER biology itself.

Syndexa's business model revolved around advancing its preclinical pipeline towards human clinical trials, funded by equity capital. The company successfully raised approximately $4 million in a seed round followed by a Series B round of $15 million in 2008. By April 2011, it had secured a total of $24.8 million in funding over two rounds from investors including MP Healthcare Venture Management, Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation, and angel investor Tetsuro Iwata. Despite these financial milestones and its focused research platform, Syndexa Pharmaceuticals ultimately ceased operations and is now considered a deadpooled company.