About Oryn Therapeutics

Oryn Therapeutics

Our Mission

Oryn Therapeutics was founded to utilize the novel structural and functional properties of theta-defensins as a template to design OrynotidesTM, new therapeutic drug candidates to treat complex, difficult-to-treat diseases.

Scientists from Oryn Therapeutics discovered small cyclic peptides (called theta defensins) produced by Old World monkeys, but not humans.

Humans and monkeys all have the genes and produce the mRNA, but stop codons block biosynthesis of the peptide in humans. This discovery of theta-defensins, the only known cyclic peptides naturally occurring in the animal kingdom, altered the scientific world view of the composition and function of the mammalian innate immune system.

Theta-defensins function in the natural host to protect against life-threatening infections, sepsis, and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, theta-defensins have favorable drug-like properties lacking in most other known peptides. They are exceedingly stable (because of their circular structure) and have low toxicity and low immunogenicity, features that collectively make the theta-defensin macrocyclic peptide an ideal structural template for drug design.