U of Maryland-Baltimore start-up aims to treat inflammatory and age-related diseases

Published 12/11/19 on Tech Transfer eNews Blog

A start-up from the University of Maryland-Baltimore (UMB) is advancing a treatment for inflammatory and age-related diseases.

GEn1E Lifesciences is based on a p38a kinase inhibitor program developed at UMB. The start-up aims to initially harness that research to target acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe lung disorder that occurs when too much fluid fills the lungs. GEn1E also plans to apply the treatment to other types of diseases.

There is currently no treatment for ARDS, which kills 40% of the people who contract it.

UM Ventures, the tech transfer arm of UMB, is helping the start-up to commercialize the treatment. GEn1E is also supported by the well-known Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator.

“It was identified as a technology that was fairly advanced for most of the small molecules that we see,” says UM Ventures director Phil Robilotto. “We thought it was particularly interesting and promising.”