Azome Therapeutics

What Azome Therapeutics does

Azome Therapeutics is a privately held, early-stage drug development company founded in 2023 and headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The company is focused on developing selective antagonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome, an inflammatory signaling pathway implicated in a range of severe diseases including acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), systemic sepsis, acute liver and kidney injury, and severe viral pneumonia. Azome's lead drug candidate, AZM-152, is a RHAMM-derived antagonist that blocks a key upstream priming signal in the NLRP3 cascade, preventing aberrant inflammasome activation and preserving lung alveolarization in preclinical models.

The company's core technology is the RHAMM antagonist platform, which encompasses peptides and small molecule inhibitors that block RHAMM-target interactions required for NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The platform was developed in collaboration with leading researchers, including Eva Turley (who cloned and characterized RHAMM) and Rashmin Savani (who identified the RHAMM hyaluronan-binding peptide sequences). Azome holds a registered patent on the underlying RHAMM-targeting inhibitors and is advancing AZM-152 toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the prevention of BPD in preterm infants, supported by a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) announced in November 2024.

Azome is pre-revenue and pre-commercial. Its business model is structured around eventual pharmaceutical development and commercialization of NLRP3-targeting therapeutics, with revenue expected to flow through licensing or commercialization of approved products rather than current sales. Go-to-market motion is currently limited to research collaborations (notably NCATS), scientific conference presentations (e.g., the 7th Annual Inflammasome Therapeutics Summit, Hyaluronan 2025), and peer-reviewed publication. The company is led by CEO Elliott Gruskin, PhD (former Executive Director at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals), with Non-Executive Chairman Steven Romano, MD (formerly EVP/CSO at Mallinckrodt, SVP at Pfizer) and Rashmin Savani, MBChB heading the Scientific Advisory Board.

Name

Azome Therapeutics

Legal name

Azome Therapeutics

Website

https://azometherapeutics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Azome Therapeutics is a privately held, pre-clinical-stage biotech developing RHAMM-derived antagonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome, with lead candidate AZM-152 targeting severe inflammatory diseases including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, ARDS, and severe viral pneumonia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inflammatory Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

akta.pro primary industry

Enzyme Replacement & Metabolic Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rare Gastroenterology & Hepatology Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAL), Rare Immunology, Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Therapies (HLAIAIAE), Immuno-Oncology & Immune Monitoring Biomarkers (TMB, MSI, MRD, immune profiling) (HLAAAMAK), Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD) (HLAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Inflammatory disease therapeutics
• NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors
• Drug discovery platform
• RHAMM-targeted peptides
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Development: Pre-revenue early-stage drug development company. Revenue will be generated through the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway for treatment of severe inflammatory diseases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Azome Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage drug development company building selective antagonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome for severe inflammatory diseases. Its lead candidate, AZM-152, is a RHAMM-derived antagonist designed to block upstream priming signals in the NLRP3 inflammatory cascade, with initial focus on bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants, ARDS, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and severe viral pneumonia.

Product overview

Azome Therapeutics is an early-stage drug development company with a single focus on developing selective antagonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome. The company operates with a unified technology platform (RHAMM antagonist technology platform) that drives its drug discovery efforts, with its lead drug candidate AZM-152 being the primary therapeutic output derived from this platform. AZM-152 is a RHAMM-derived antagonist designed to block upstream priming and activation signals in the NLRP3 inflammatory cascade for treating severe inflammatory diseases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AZM-152 AZM-152 is a potent and specific RHAMM-derived antagonist that blocks a key upstream priming signal involved in aberrant NLRP3 inflammasome activation, designed to treat severe inflammatory diseases including bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), ARDS, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and severe viral pneumonia. It is being advanced through preclinical development toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the prevention of BPD in preterm infants.

Quantifiable outcome

• In preclinical studies, a single dose of AZM-152 to neonatal mice exposed to hyperoxia resulted in no inflammatory response and preserved lung alveolarization.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2024Azome Therapeutics entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NCATS, part of the National Institutes of Health, to investigate AZM-152, the company's novel inflammasome antagonist, in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). NCATS will collaborate with Azome to perform preclinical development studies of AZM-152 to enable the submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the prevention of BPD in preterm infants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olatec Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing dapansutrile (OLT1177), an oral small-molecule NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor. Most direct NLRP3 competitor to Azome, albeit with a different binding site and a more advanced clinical stage.
• NodThera: Private UK-based biotech developing selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. Closely comparable mechanism and stage to Azome's RHAMM/NLRP3 program.

Emerging players

• ZyVersa Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company with IC 100 (inflammasome inhibitor) targeting the NLRP3 and other inflammasomes, focused on kidney and inflammatory diseases. Comparable inflammasome focus with a different molecular approach.
• Aclaris Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immunology company with an MK2 inhibitor and anti-inflammatory pipeline targeting inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. Comparable preclinical/early-clinical inflammation focus.
• Silence Therapeutics: Clinical-stage RNA therapeutics company where Azome's Chairman Steven Romano serves as CMO/Head of R&D. Comparable in stage and therapeutic ambition, with platform adjacency through inflammatory disease focus.
• Windtree Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing KL4 surfactant for neonatal lung disease including BPD. Directly comparable by indication focus (preterm infant lung disease), even though the mechanism (surfactant replacement vs. anti-inflammatory) differs.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis (IFM Therapeutics acquired subsidiary): Acquired IFM Therapeutics' NLRP3 program and is advancing small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitors into the clinic. Represents the largest, most-capitalized competitor in the NLRP3 space Azome targets.
• Inflazome (acquired by Roche): Acquired by Roche in 2020; advancing NLRP3 inhibitors for inflammatory diseases. Illustrates how NLRP3 innovators are typically absorbed by big pharma, the most likely BD path for Azome.
• Chiesi Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharma with established neonatal/respiratory franchise (e.g., surfactant therapies for preterm infants). A logical commercial partner or acquirer for a BPD therapeutic like AZM-152.
• Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharma where Azome's CEO (Gruskin) and Chairman (Romano) previously held senior R&D leadership. Highly relevant given leadership overlap and its history in inflammatory/rare disease drug development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azome-therapeutics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Azome Therapeutics