Our Technology
Autophagy, an extensively researched process in cellular biology, plays a crucial role in breaking down proteins, mitochondria, and cellular waste. Moreover, it acts as a built-in defense system against viruses and bacteria.
Automera capitalizes on the versatile degradation capabilities of autophagy to precisely target and eliminate disease-causing agents. Unlike conventional methods that primarily focus on proteins, our platform is well-positioned to break down protein aggregates, malfunctioning mitochondria, viruses, bacteria, and other cellular components.
At the heart of Automera’s pioneering approach lies an exclusive arsenal of autophagy “warheads” that actively engage and initiate autophagy. By coupling disease-targeting molecules with these warheads, we prompt selective degradation of the target of interest. Collectively, the autophagy warhead, disease-targeting ligand, and a linker comprise our novel autophagy-targeting chimeric molecules (AUTAC). These advancements usher in fresh prospects for targeted therapeutics with extensive potential applications.
The Disease-targeting Ligand
This component selectively binds to a disease-causing target.
The Autophagy Warhead
This component guides the chimeric small molecule into the autophagy machinery.
The Linker
This mechanism maintains proximity between the targeting ligand and the autophagy warhead, guaranteeing the degradation of the disease target upon autophagy activation.