Kojin Therapeutics

Kojin Therapeutics is a biotechnology company founded in 2019 and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company is pioneering a new class of therapies based on cell state and ferroptosis biology. Ferroptosis is a recently discovered form of programmed cell death characterized by iron-dependent accumulation of oxidatively damaged phospholipids within cell membranes. Kojin is developing two classes of drugs: one that induces ferroptosis to kill cancer cells and another that blocks ferroptosis to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. The company's drug discovery platform integrates computational chemistry, structural biology, chemical biology, target-informed screening, and mechanism-driven pharmacology to modulate ferroptosis specifically.

Kojin's approach utilizes a novel non-genetic classification of cell states instead of conventional cell types to determine how cells respond to their environment or specific drugs. The company's proprietary molecular fingerprinting machine learning model connects complex cell states to biochemical processes like ferroptosis to identify targets for therapeutic intervention. This allows for the development of selective therapies tailored to specific diseases and tissues. The company had about 15 employees working in Boston's Seaport district as of January 2024.

Key customers and partnerships

Kojin Therapeutics' founding team includes prominent scientists such as Stuart Schreiber from Harvard University, Benjamin Cravatt from The Scripps Research Institute, and Stephanie Dougan from Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The company's scientific advisory board comprises experts in fields like oncology, chemical biology, and drug discovery.

Kojin has attracted investment from a syndicate that includes Cathay Health, Polaris Partners, Newpath Partners, Leaps by Bayer, AbbVie Ventures, Dana-Farber's Binney Street Capital, Eventide Life Sciences Fund, and Alexandria Venture Investments. In June 2021, the company raised USD 60 million in Series A funding to accelerate its drug discovery platform and advance its pipeline of therapeutics. While initially focused on oncology, Kojin's approach has potential applications across multiple disease areas including cardiovascular, immunologic, and degenerative diseases.