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Myoforte Therapeutics, 

a biopharmaceutical company that spun out of Stanford University, is dedicated to the development of novel strategies to build muscle strength. The company develops drugs that enhance the regenerative process by capitalizing on the body’s own healing mechanisms.

Our therapy targets muscle stem cells (MuSCs) to rejuvenate muscle and increase strength.

MuSC-generation

Areas of focus

DMD

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease characterized by muscle degeneration and weakness. DMD patients exhibit muscle atrophy at a young age, which gets progressively worse over time. The final stages of the disease are characterized by severe muscle degeneration, loss of mobility, cardiorespiratory failure, and death, generally before the age of 30 years. Our team is working on treatments to restore muscle strength in patients with DMD.

Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is age-related degeneration of muscle characterized by a loss of muscle mass, strength, balance, and the ability to stand and walk. Sarcopenia is a leading cause of disability in the elderly resulting in a loss of independence, increased risk of falls, and physical disability. Although the impact of sarcopenia on healthcare costs and the quality of life is widely recognized, there are no approved therapeutics to treat sarcopenia. This motivates our work in this area.

Local muscle atrophy

Localized muscle atrophy can be severely disabling. Atrophy of muscles in the hand due to carpal tunnel syndrome, wasting of shoulder muscles after rotator cuff tear, and weakness of muscles after a hip fracture limit people’s ability to move. Muscle loss in patients with diseases like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy are also severely disabling. Our proposed localized therapy aims to restore muscle strength for these and other conditions.

Company Leadership

Former CEO Virobay. Adjunct Professor Stanford University. Current boards include Cymabay, Glialogix. Former Chairman Ab Initio and board member Pharmacyclics, CSO Celera, SVP Roche.

Robert Booth, Ph.D.
Executive Chairman

Former CEO Virobay. Adjunct Professor Stanford University. Current boards include Cymabay, Glialogix. Former Chairman Ab Initio and board member Pharmacyclics, CSO Celera, SVP Roche.
Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor; Director, Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Stanford University. Co-founder Rejuvenation Technologies, Inc.

Helen Blau, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor; Director, Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Stanford University. Co-founder Rejuvenation Technologies, Inc.
Professor of Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University. Current boards include Cala Health, Enspectra Health, Circuit Therapeutics.

Scott Delp, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Professor of Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University. Current boards include Cala Health, Enspectra Health, Circuit Therapeutics.
Extensive experience with early stage biotech and medtech company formation, including Cotera, The Foundry, Cartilix, Depuy, Orquest, Collagen Corp.

Vivek Shenoy, MS, MBA
President & COO

Extensive experience with early stage biotech and medtech company formation, including Cotera, The Foundry, Cartilix, Depuy, Orquest, Collagen Corp.
More than 20 years of experience across a diverse range of disease areas in the Biotech industry, including Assembly Biosciences, Medivation, Alios Biopharma, Celera and Axys Pharmaceuticals.

Roopa Rai, Ph.D
VP, Medicinal Chemistry

More than 20 years of experience across a diverse range of disease areas in the Biotech industry, including Assembly Biosciences, Medivation, Alios Biopharma, Celera and Axys Pharmaceuticals.
Horizons Ventures. Current boards include Zoom Video Communications Inc., Impossible Foods, Sentient Technologies, Benevolent AI, Hola Networks, Leo Labs Inc. Former director at Onavo, DeepMind, Bitstrips, Crosswise.com, Viv.

Bart Swanson
Director

Horizons Ventures. Current boards include Zoom Video Communications Inc., Impossible Foods, Sentient Technologies, Benevolent AI, Hola Networks, Leo Labs Inc. Former director at Onavo, DeepMind, Bitstrips, Crosswise.com, Viv.

Contact us

1455 Adams Drive #1293
Menlo Park, CA 94025