The National Institute on Aging (NIA) division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a grant to advance research on Engineered Cyclodextrins targeting toxic oxidized cholesterol to eradicate atherosclerosis — the cause of most heart attacks and strokes.
Former SRF V.P. of Research and current Underdog Co-founder Matthew O’Connor, Ph.D. and current SRF V.P. of Research Alexandra Stolzing, Ph.D., are the Principal Investigators.
Underdog Pharmaceuticals’ research has combined computational and synthetic chemistry programs to custom-engineer cyclodextrins to capture, and remove from cells, oxidized cholesterol derivatives such as 7-ketocholesterol.
Their technology removes the arterial plaque by clearing the non-degradable cholesterol that accumulates within cells in the arterial walls. The grant also supports exploring the use of Underdog’s technology to target oxidized cholesterol in the Alzheimer’s disease brain.
Their long-term goal is to deliver a simple and affordable preventive therapy for the world.
The novel therapeutic approach was born from one of SRF’s flagship research programs designed to understand and repair the underlying causes of cardiovascular disease. SENS Research Foundation and Underdog Pharmaceuticals are very proud to receive this important peer-reviewed NIH grant.
We are excited about how this collaboration will contribute to the advancement of our mission to develop, promote, and ensure widespread access to therapies that cure and prevent the diseases and disabilities of aging.
