HO2Rx

HO2Rx is a preclinical biotech developing long-acting prodrug therapeutics to transform treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases (CID). Current therapies often fail due to toxicity, lack of tissue repair, and inability to prevent relapses that drive disease progression.

Our HO2RT platform conjugates a selective anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory small molecule to a short biopolymer, enabling sustained restoration of tissue structures and functionalities that were damaged by recurrent inflammatory stimuli. In rodent models of periodontitis and IBD, just two subcutaneous injections of our lead candidate HO2RT-101 produced durable, scar-free tissue healing with excellent tolerability.

We will first target periodontitis, a neglected disease affecting 1B people globally, where 70% of patients remain undertreated. Beyond its large market potential, periodontitis provides a rapid proof-of-relevance indication to validate our approach and expand to IBD and other chronic inflammatory disease segments. The program requires ~$30M (~CHF 23.5M) to develop, with a projected $100B (~CHF78.4B) market opportunity by 2033.  The additional upside of periodontitis stems from One Health veterinary applications to be out-licensed within 2 years thereby generating an early income stream.