Napa Therapeutics

A Juvenescence Company

Targeting CD38-dependent NAD+ metabolism to fight age-associated diseases

About Napa

Napa Therapeutics is a cutting-edge pharmaceutical company devoted to developing novel CD38 NADase inhibitors for the treatment of age-associated disorders. The Company is a joint venture between Juvenescence and the Buck Institute For Research On Aging. Napa's lead program features a highly effective orally available CD38 inhibitor designed to selectively target the enzyme's activity and modulate NAD+ metabolism.

The Science

CD38 is a NAD+ consuming enzyme ubiquitously expressed on immune cells and its expression increases during aging and in several pathological conditions, including metabolic and autoimmune diseases, as well as inflammation (1,2,3). CD38 is considered one of the primary drivers of age-related NAD+ decline, a causal factor in the development of numerous age-associated diseases (4,5). Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that pharmacological inhibition of CD38 NADase activity not only extends healthspan and lifespan during healthy aging (6), but also shows efficacy in several disease models of insulin resistance (7), rheumatoid arthritis (8) and fibrosis (9). At Napa Therapeutics, we are developing innovative small molecules CD38 inhibitors that offer safety and efficacy in treating age-related diseases.

1. Front Immunol . 2019 May 31;10:1187. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01187. | 2.Cell Metab. 2016 Jun 14;23(6):1127-1139. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.05.006. | 3. Front Immunol. 2020 Nov 30;11:597959. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.597959. | 4. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2021 Feb;22(2):119-141. doi: 10.1038/s41580-020-00313-x. | 5. Nat Metab. 2020 Nov;2(11):1265-1283. doi: 10.1038/s42255-020-00305-3. | 6. Aging Cell. 2022 Apr;21(4):e13589. doi: 10.1111/acel.13589. | 7. Cell Metab 2018 May 1;27(5):1081-1095.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.03.016. | 8. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2022 Oct 29. doi: 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/0dck3t. | 9. iScience. 2020 Dec 7;24(1):101902. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101902.

The Napa Team

Napa Therapeutics is comprised of an exceptional team of scientists, physicians, drug developers and entrepreneurs who share the mission to fight age-associated diseases.