About
Digestome Therapeutics was founded in 2018. The company is based on the ground-breaking research of Dr. Kousaku Ohinata from Kyoto University.
Food affects mood, so Dr. Ohinata was inspired to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients that had origins in proteins from food sources. His well-published research describes numerous peptides that act in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the central nervous system via the vagus nerve. VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) is a well-established mode of action, with FDA approved devices for resistant epilepsy and refractory depression.
Digestome’s pipeline includes SAR-optimized drug candidates with potential in depression, anxiety, inflammatory disease, tinnitus, and others. The drug candidates are gut-acting and gut-restricted, which suggests an advantageous safety profile, particularly compared to most approved psychiatric drugs which suffer from numerous side effects.
Team
Ken Horne
20+ years across all life sciences. Serial entrepreneur and VC fund co-founder. Multiple CEO experiences all successfully exited (Aline Aesthetics, Symic Bio).
Sami Karaborni, PhD
30+ years in pharma and chemical industries. Previously VP Development Ops at Xenoport, Director of Formulation at Merck. Significant contributor to 100+ INDs and 7 NDAs.
Taka Koda
15+ years healthcare investment experience, multiple CEO experiences. Partner at Remiges Ventures, and previously at Mitsui’s private equity group both in US and Japan.
Veronique Lauriault, PhD, DABT
25+ years of toxicology experience. Significant contributor to approvals of rucaparib (Clovis), larotrectinib and selpercatinib (Loxo).
Susan Yen
20+ years of professional experience in finance and business diligence. Previously Dir of Finance at Symic Bio, Research Analyst at Ally Bridge Group, Business Operations Analyst at Coca Cola Asia Pacific.
Igor Grachev, MD, PhD
30+ years experience, phase 1 to 4, neurology, psychiatry, neurodegeneration etc. Previously leadership at Marinus, Cellectar, TEVA, Novartis, and appointments at SUNY Upstate Medical University and MGH, Harvard University. 150+ peer reviewed publications.
Dirk Smith, PhD
20+ years drug development experience. Previously Scientific Director at Amgen, and Global Research Lead for AMG 282 (IL-33) and AMG 601 (IL-18). 50+ publications including Nature, Immunity; 7 patents.
Steve Smith
35+ years drug development experience. Previously Head of DMPK for Roche, Head Nonclinical DMPK for UCB. Significant contributor to 50+ INDs and several NDAs.
Founder
Kousaku Ohinata, PhD
Associate Professor at Kyoto University with 20+ year research focus on physiologically active substances from food sources. 80+ peer reviewed publications; 40+ patents.
Advisors
Harald Murck, MD, PhD
20 years of drug development experience from Stage I to Stage IV with focus on translational and biomarker research. Previously at Sage, Acorda, Axovant, Novartis and others. Adjunct Professor for Psychiatry at the Philipps-University Marburg, Germany, with 85+ peer reviewed articles.
Larry Ereshefsky, Pharm.D., BCPP, FCCP
CSO at Apex Innovative Sciences, proven record leading Phase I/IIa studies CNS indications. Pioneered neurocircuitry / biomarker-based studies incorporating qEEG, ERP, fMRI, etc. 45+ years experience, PI for 100+ studies, 2 terms on the FDA Psychopharmacological Drugs Advisory Committee, several terms on the USP-Panel for Psychiatry.
News
Digestome Therapeutics Announces First Patient Enrolled in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of DGX‑001
Digestome Therapeutics, a biotech company developing first-in-class therapeutics that stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) via the gut-brain-axis, announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 1 clinical trial investigating DGX-001. The trial will feature safety as the primary endpoint and will also investigate a variety of biomarkers to assess the biological and clinical response to DGX-001.
Digestome Therapeutics Announces Exclusive Out-license of DGX-001 for Greater China with Zhongze Therapeutics
Digestome Therapeutics, a biotech company developing first-in-class therapeutics that stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) via the gut-brain-axis, announced today the completion of an exclusive out-licensing agreement of DGX-001 in the greater China territory with Zhongze Therapeutics.
Digestome Therapeutics Completes $10 Million Seed Financing
Digestome Therapeutics, a biotech company developing first-in-class therapeutics that stimulate mind via the gut-brain-axis, announced today the completion of a $10M Seed financing to advance its lead program into clinical trials starting early 2022.
Hey, There's a Second Brain in Your Gut
New research reveals that the “second brain” in your gut has at least a dozen kinds of neurons, unlocking new paths to further experiments and findings.
How Your Gut Influences Your Mental Health: It’s Practically a Second Brain
Dr. Emeran Mayer discusses the mind-gut connnection.