Bryologyx’s therapeutic programs are enabled by the first fully synthetic, cost-effective and scalable method for producing bryostatins, including bryostatin-1 and other analogs. The company has licensed exclusive rights to the process from Stanford University, for use in therapeutics to treat cancer and HIV, as well as to bryostatin analogs.
Bryostatins, natural products derived from a small marine organism, Bugula neritina, modulate a family of enzymes, called protein kinase C (PKC), involved in the regulation of cell growth, cell death, cellular signaling, gene activation and gene expression. Based on its broad PKC-modulating activity, bryostatin has garnered significant scientific interest as a therapeutic. The NIH has supported bryostatin research for over 40 years, including support of clinical trials involving more than 1100 patients. However, its development has been slowed by poor efficacy in settings outside of immuno-oncology and limited supply, as production through extraction is difficult and cost prohibitive.
The production method enables both the commercial development of