Unity Biotechnology(US:UBX)2021-03-15 21:06Company Overview - UNITY is developing transformative medicines to slow, halt, or reverse diseases of aging by targeting cellular senescence and aging-related biology [9, 171] - The company's focus areas include ophthalmology (Diabetic Retinopathy/Diabetic Macular Edema/AMD) and neurology (Frontal Temporal Dementia/Progressive Supranuclear Palsy/Alzheimer's Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) [9, 13] - UNITY had $132 million in cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2020, with a focused capital allocation to extend the cash runway into mid-2022 [169] Ophthalmology - UBX1325 - UBX1325, a Bcl-xL inhibitor, is being developed for Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) [15, 20] - A Phase 1 safety readout for UBX1325 in DME is expected in 1H 2021, with a proof-of-concept study in DME also planned for 1H 2021 [15] - Age-related eye diseases like Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) affect 90 million globally, Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) affects 20 million globally, and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects 170 million globally [32] - In the US, there are 8 million DR patients, 2 million DME patients, and 11 million AMD patients [32] Ophthalmology - Tie2 mAb - Tie2 mAb and Klotho are projected to enter IND-enabling studies in 2021 [15] - Tie2 activation is being explored as an orthogonal approach to restore vascular integrity in DME/DR, independent of Bcl-xLi [109] Neurology - The company is exploring senolytic approaches to reduce CNS inflammation and reverse Tau pathology in neurodegenerative diseases [134] - Elevated p16 transcript levels in human PSP tauopathy brain are correlated with NFT score [157]