Written by: Samantha Everton, Innovation & Research Communications Contributor
What if chronic back pain could be solved with a simple injection? Sunac Therapeutics, a University of Utah startup, is fighting chronic back pain with a novel treatment that targets several causes of the disease at a relatively low risk to the patients. The company has centered their approach on cell regeneration as a response to degenerative disc disease (DDD).
A Debilitating Disease Affecting Millions
According to research, chronic back pain and osteoarthritis affect millions of Americans of all ages and incomes, lowering their quality of life in major ways, from their ability to work, their ability to enjoy social or recreative time, and fosters feelings of hopelessness, anger, and depression within patients.
Osteoarthritis and chronic back pain are also some of the most economically costly health conditions in the United States, because healthcare professionals are rarely able to pinpoint a specific cause for a patient’s pain. This creates a sort of revolving door into the clinic, where patients come to seek therapy, chiropractic aid, medications, and, in some cases, surgery to cure their back pain.
This cyclical and often fruitless effort to reduce chronic back pain then creates increased feelings of hopelessness and anger, as patients face a debilitating disease with no efficient or sure way to cure their pain.
A Simple Solution to a Complex Issue
Sunac Therapeutics
, a University of Utah-based startup, is developing a restorative genetic therapy to counter osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease (DDD), which will drastically improve patients’ quality of life and level of pain.
One of the company’s founders, Robby Bowles, has devoted years of study to reversing back pain. His research on genetics led him to identify one gene that controlled many factors contributing to osteoarthritis and DDD.
“There are all these little things that we don’t know about that cause back pain.” Bowles explained. “But knowing this DNA damage part, we think this is one of the primary reasons this disease has happened.”
From there, he began the process of researching a possible treatment for these diseases that focused on restoring unhealthy, senescent cells, to their normal health, which would then reverse the chronic back pain caused by cellular degeneration controlled by DNA.
Currently, Sunac Therapeutics is developing a simple, low-risk solution that could transform patient lives in a single-use injection that will address all the genetic factors that contribute to degenerative disc disease. The genetic therapy, once injected, will express a specific gene, ZNF865, and reprogram the cells causing the patient pain. The treatment will then rebuild a patient’s unhealthy cells into healthy, normal cells, and dramatically lessen their pain.
“If this works the way that the data shows, this will be a transformative treatment and it would change the trajectory of osteoarthritis research,” Sunac Therapeutics CEO Steven Laken shared.
A True Pairing of Academia and Entrepreneurship
Sunac Therapeutics began with University of Utah Associate Robby Bowles’ study of genetics and his long-term dream of finding a cure for chronic back pain and osteoarthritis.
Early on in his research, Bowles connected with the Technology Licensing Office (TLO) to protect and patent his work, waiting for the right opportunity to move out of the lab space and into a commercialization space to develop the genetic therapy.
That opportunity came a year and a half ago when entrepreneur Steven Laken took interest in the project and later founded Sunac Therapeutics with Bowles.
“We were looking for a clinical problem that had no clinical solution.” Laken, who has years of experience working with startups like this one, said, “I knew we could have a profound impact on people with degenerative disc disease.”
With the rest of their team, Laken and Bowles are currently in a fundraising round to continue development of their genetic therapy.
“It’s great to see a company like Sunac Therapeutics move closer to commercialization,” Jason Young, Director of Commercialization at the TLO shared. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr. Bowles in a long-term partnership, and this innovation has real potential to help solve a large problem.”
Advice for Researchers and Postdocs
When asked what advice they’d give to current researchers and postdocs looking to move into the commercialization space, both Bowles and Laken emphasized being patient with the process.
“It takes a really long time to get your story and messaging together and make sure that you’re doing the right things.” Laken said. “[Fundraising] takes time. Having the patience on both sides is really important.”
Sunac Therapeutics is the result of years of research and years of waiting for the right partnerships to develop their novel therapy. Bowles also discussed just how important it was for him to protect his research in preparation for those partnerships.
He shared, “Engage the TLO through the process. If you’re interested in translating research, make sure you’re thinking about the IP and filing your provisional patents.”
As Bowles, Laken, and their team at Sunac Therapeutics drive their translation research forward, the quality of life for many patients could be significantly improved. Contact the company for more information on their current funding round.
