Company Infrastructure

Discover and Optimize Lead Compounds

Preclinical Drug Discovery

OyaGen is a preclinical drug discovery and development company focused on identification of novel therapeutic indications for infectious diseases and cancer. The Company’s business model is to discover and optimize lead compounds as investigational new drugs (IND) for licensing to or partnering with industrial leaders for clinical development.

We also have fee for service opportunities available to academic or industry partners looking to develop and run screens for novel targets. 

World-Class Management Team

Cell and Molecular Engineers

OyaGen Ph.D. technical staff are cell and molecular engineers who have demonstrated a facility to develop cell and molecular high throughput and high content screening methods for drug discovery and hit-to-lead development. Our broad scientific and technical background enables OyaGen to address mechanism of action studies with robust and state-of-the-art assay services and specialized assay development. We offer this capability as a fee-for-service.

OyaGen has a world-class management team and external advisors with collectively over 100 years of experience in Biopharma, the Life Sciences and regulatory affairs.

Advanced Conrolled Environment

State-of-The-Art Laboratory

The Company occupies a 3,200 sq. ft. state-of-the-art laboratory within the Rochester BioVenture Center in Rochester NY. A broad range of advanced instrumentation, controlled environments that include a BSL-2+ cell culture facility and a library of small molecules enable cell-based and cell-free assay development and high throughput drug discovery. OyaGen maintains strong ties to several contract research organizations (CROs), consultants, and federal research and development services, along with several academic collaborations that significantly add to the number of staff scientists working on our programs as well as the company’s capability and infrastructure. This enables the company to maintain a low overhead and sustainable footprint while robustly pursuing assay development, high throughput screening (HTS), medicinal chemistry, animal model studies, Absorbtion, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) testing and regulatory functions.

Since 2003

OyaGen's Foundings

Founded by Dr. Smith in 2003, the company is based on assay development technology and academic work from Dr. Harold C. Smith, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY on gene editing enzymes that affect the genetic readout of normal and cancer cells and viruses 

The Company has two recently issued patents on its HIV leads that are Vif antagonists with potential for HIV/AIDS therapeutics, prevention and a functional cure.
OyaGen also holds an exclusive license from Thomas Jefferson University for the Vif drug target.

Several patents are pending for sangivamycin as an antiviral therapeutic for infectious diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2, Coronaviruses in general, Ebola, Lassa and Pox viruses.