Athira Pharma


Athira Pharma is a clinical stage American therapeutics company developing regenerative therapies for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The company's main product is in very early human studies for Alzheimer's disease as of 2019.
The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Seattle. Funding that supports the company is from both public and private investment groups including the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, Dolby Family Ventures, the State of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund, The W Fund, WRF Capital, and other private investors.
Leen Kawas currently serves as the company's President and CEO.

History

The company has received financial support from venture capitalist groups and angel investors through four rounds of funding to date. Athira Pharma was known as M3 Biotechnology until it underwent a name change on April 11, 2019.

Core technology

The company's lead asset, NDX-1017, is in very early human trials of Alzheimer's disease as of 2019. It aims to regenerate lost connections in the brain, protect brain cells from further damage, and prevent additional neuronal deterioration.