Dr. Holtzman started a drug discovery program at WU in 2009 that runs in concert with the biotech (NuPeak Therapeutics) that he founded in 2012. Together, the program aims at discovering and developing small-molecule-kinase inhibitors to correct epithelial stem cell and innate immune cell reprogramming in the settings of post-viral inflammation and in cancer. The WU site focuses on the drug discovery phase using cell and animal models combined with medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology to move from structure-based drug design to proof of concept. The biotech concentrates on the drug development phase to deliver safety toxicology data for IND approval and initial clinical trials in humans. Current proprietary lead compounds are designed for the progressive post-viral respiratory disease found in asthma, COPD, and COVID-19 and for correcting related pathways found in breast, liver, and brain cancers.
