Cyclarity Therapeutics

What Cyclarity Therapeutics does

Cyclarity Therapeutics (formerly Underdog Pharmaceuticals, rebranded June 2022) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered cyclodextrin-based drugs to clear toxic oxidized cholesterol, specifically 7-ketocholesterol (7KC), a molecule implicated in atherosclerotic plaque instability and other age-related pathologies. The company was founded in 2019, is headquartered at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, and operates with a 1-10 person core team supplemented by an academic and clinical collaborator network spanning Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Monash University, and the Buck Institute.

The company's core technology is a proprietary cyclodextrin chemistry platform that selectively binds and removes 7KC from cells and tissues. Its lead asset, UDP-003, is being developed as a first-in-class treatment for atherosclerosis and entered Phase 1 clinical trials in Australia in early 2025, with results unveiled in May 2026. The pipeline extends this platform to additional indications: UDP-200 for age-related macular degeneration, UDP-300 for skin rash, and UDP-400 as a treatment-support candidate, all at the discovery stage. Drug design is supported by the in-house Cyclarity Platform and the Candymer computational chemistry suite (acquired from MD.USE in June 2020), which together run molecular dynamics simulations and docking calculations to prioritize cyclodextrin variants. The company holds a UK MHRA ILAP Innovation Passport designation for UDP-003 (granted September 2021).

Cyclarity is pre-revenue and has raised approximately $24.35M in private equity across seed (2019, Kizoo-led), Seed II (2021, Kizoo-led), bridge (2023), and Series A Tranche 1 (late 2024/early 2025, Ki Tua Fund and Starbloom Industries co-led). Its business model is currently capital-raising funded R&D with future optionality on out-licensing, co-development, or partnership monetization of UDP-003 and pipeline assets; no commercial product sales or pricing model is in place.

Name

Cyclarity Therapeutics

Legal name

Cyclarity Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://cyclaritytx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cyclarity Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered cyclodextrin drugs that clear toxic oxidized cholesterol (7-ketocholesterol) to treat atherosclerosis and related age-related diseases. The company targets patients with cardiovascular and age-related conditions via its lead asset UDP-003 and broader pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Atherosclerosis Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Development (Phase I–III Trial Design & Execution) (HLAIALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support (HLAIALAH)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular therapeutics
• Cyclodextrin drug development
• Atherosclerosis treatment
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
• Oxidized cholesterol drugs

Headquarters

HQ city

Novato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Drug Sales: Cyclarity is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing UDP-003 for atherosclerosis and other age-related diseases. The company does not yet have revenue from product sales. Upon regulatory approval, the company plans to commercialize UDP-003 as a disease-modifying treatment for cardiovascular disease.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cyclarity Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered cyclodextrin drugs to prevent and reverse age-related conditions, with lead candidate UDP-003 designed to target and remove toxic oxidized cholesterol (7-ketocholesterol) from arterial plaques. The company operates on a proprietary AI-enabled drug discovery platform (the Cyclarity Platform) that combines computational chemistry and synthetic chemistry to design cyclodextrin-based therapeutics. The company is currently conducting Phase 1 clinical trials for UDP-003 in Australia with plans for Phase 2 in 2026.

Product overview

Cyclarity Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a platform of engineered cyclodextrin drugs. The core product is UDP-003, a first-in-class cyclodextrin therapeutic targeting 7-ketocholesterol (7KC) to reverse atherosclerosis. The pipeline extends to UDP-200 for macular degeneration, UDP-300 for skin rash, and UDP-400 for treatment support. All products are built on The Cyclarity Platform, a proprietary AI-enabled computational drug discovery system that enables rapid design and testing of engineered cyclodextrins targeting various hydrophobic molecules. The platform supports both the lead product and discovery-stage pipeline candidates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UDP-003 UDP-003 is a first-in-class engineered cyclodextrin drug candidate designed to target and remove toxic oxidized cholesterol (7-ketocholesterol / 7KC) from cells and arterial plaques. It binds directly to 7KC and facilitates urinary excretion, restoring cardiovascular self-repair function and reducing arterial plaque buildup in atherosclerosis. It is being developed for patients with atherosclerotic plaque buildup, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and carotid stenosis, with potential applications in stroke recovery, Alzheimer's disease, and Niemann Pick Type C.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 1 trial demonstrated clear, dose-dependent urinary excretion of 7KC with no serious adverse events across dose-escalation cohorts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Alliance for Longevity Science, Arts & Entertainment (ALSAE)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 November 2025Cyclarity is listed as a partner organization in ALSAE, a nonprofit bridging longevity science and mainstream culture through partnerships with artists, filmmakers, and musicians. ALSAE aims to translate complex aging research into compelling public narratives.
• Monash University / Monash Victorian Heart InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025Strategic partnership for Phase 1 clinical trials of UDP-003. Dr. Stephen Nicholls, Director of the Monash Victorian Heart Institute and Professor of Cardiology at Monash University, serves as lead investigator. Trial conducted at CMAX clinical research center in partnership with Monash.
• Cedars-Sinai HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2023Clinical Advisory Board members Dr. Prediman K. Shah (Director of Inpatient Cardiology and Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center) and Dr. Michael E. Farkouh (Associate Dean for Research and Clinical Trials) from Cedars-Sinai. Company exploring potential lead site and primary PI roles at Cedars-Sinai for Phase 2 trials.
• Buck Institute for Research on AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2022Cyclarity moved its research and operations to state-of-the-art labs at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. The partnership provides access to core facilities and opportunities for collaborations with world leaders in cardiovascular disease and aging research.
• MD.USE Innovative Solutions, SLcoreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2020Partnership and technology acquisition agreement. Cyclarity received ownership of Candymer molecular dynamics simulation platform and related suite of platform technologies, exclusive access to their services, and co-founders Ángel Piñeiro and Rebeca Garcia-Fandino joined the team.
• SENS Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2019Cyclarity was built from a SENS Research Foundation flagship program focused on addressing underlying causes of cardiovascular disease. Co-founders Matthew O'Connor and Michael Kope were formerly VP of Research and founding CEO of SRF respectively. SRF received equity, royalties, and milestones in the spinout agreement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Amgen: Global biopharma with Repatha (evolocumab), the leading PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL lowering and cardiovascular risk reduction. Relevant as the broad incumbent whose franchise UDP-003 would eventually compete with or partner around in cardiovascular disease.
• Novartis: Global pharmaceutical company with Leqvio (inclisiran), an siRNA PCSK9 therapy, and a major cardiovascular franchise. Relevant broad incumbent competitor and potential acquirer/partner for next-generation disease-modifying cardiovascular therapies like UDP-003.

Direct peers

• Amarin Corporation: Specialty biopharma commercializing Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) for cardiovascular risk reduction in high-triglyceride patients. Comparable as a disease-modifying lipid therapy company pursuing outcomes-based CV indications beyond standard LDL lowering.
• NewAmsterdam Pharma: Late-stage clinical biopharma developing obicetrapib, a next-generation CETP inhibitor for dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. Directly comparable as a clinical-stage lipid management company pursuing novel cardiovascular mechanisms in similar patient populations.
• Verve Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing in vivo gene editing therapies for cardiovascular disease, including PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 targets. Comparable as a disease-modifying cardiovascular company pursuing one-time interventions versus chronic lipid management, with similar patient value proposition to UDP-003.
• Esperion Therapeutics: Commercial-stage biopharma with Nexletol/Nexlizet (bempedoic acid) for LDL lowering in cardiovascular disease. Highly comparable as a lipid-management company targeting atherosclerosis with a differentiated non-statin mechanism, and relevant for benchmarking Cyclarity's eventual commercial path.
• Mandos LLC: Clinical-stage biotech developing HPβCD (hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin) for Niemann-Pick Type C disease. The closest direct peer in cyclodextrin-based therapeutics, sharing chemistry platform, regulatory pathway considerations, and disease-modifying treatment philosophy for toxic accumulation diseases.
• Madrigal Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage biopharma with Rezdiffra (resmetirom) - the first FDA-approved treatment for MASH/NASH. Directly comparable as a developer of first-in-disease therapeutics targeting metabolic disease pathways related to toxic lipid accumulation, with potential overlap in 7KC-driven liver pathology.

Emerging players

• Unity Biotechnology: Clinical-stage biotech developing senolytic therapies for age-related diseases including ophthalmologic and musculoskeletal indications. Highly relevant peer given overlapping age-related disease focus, similar longevity-biotech investor base, and shared SENS Research Foundation scientific lineage.
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage RNA-targeted therapeutics company with cardiovascular pipeline assets including Lp(a)-lowering and PCSK9 programs. Comparable as a developer of novel-mechanism cardiovascular drugs targeting root-cause biology rather than systemic lipid management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cyclarity
• Facebookfacebook.com/Underdog-Pharmaceuticals-106943334091737
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/30597796
• Instagraminstagram.com/cyclarity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cyclarity Therapeutics