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OyaGen

is a biotechnology company formed on September 5, 2003, for the purpose of discovering, developing, and commercializing novel pharmaceutical therapies that seek to exploit RNA editing and DNA editing enzymes. OyaGen holds exclusive rights to important technologies originating from both the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the Thomas Jefferson University (TJU).

Over the past decade, a series of research advances have identified two families of related enzymes known as Editing Enzymes.  These enzymes are endogenous cellular proteins, which chemically alter RNA or DNA molecules and thereby change the genetic code. OyaGen believes that there is a significant opportunity to “harness the editing process” to create therapies for a number of disease states. OyaGen’s initial therapeutic focus is a novel approach to the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

This initial focus on HIV is driven by a series of ground breaking discoveries that:

	Identified an Editing Enzyme present in immune system cells1
	Determined that HIV inhibits this Editing Enzyme as a vital part of the infection cycle2
	Demonstrated that allowing this Editing Enzyme to function halts HIV1-3

OyaGen will pursue four therapeutic strategies to exploit this novel pathway. OyaGen seeks to bring to market the first anti-HIV drug that solves the problems of viral resistance, a major shortcoming of all current therapies. 

In the long run, the Company will draw on its core expertise in Editing Enzyme technologies to develop therapies for other disease states.