Unity Biotechnology, Inc.

Press release September 4th, 2026 AlphaNavi Pharma Inc. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Yoshihiro Oyamada; hereinafter, the “Company”) hereby announces that, based on the worldwide “Collaboration and License Agreement” concerning certain pain drug candidates concluded with Navigate Therapeutics, Inc. (Head Office: Delaware, USA; hereinafter, “Navigate”), a U.S. biotech company specializing in the development of non-opioid pain drugs, it will undertake global clinical development. Since entering into the agreement in 2025, the two companies have jointly advanced preparations for clinical development, and have now completed new patent filings, non-clinical pharmacology study with competitors, and the establishment of a global clinical trial plan. Going forward, they plan to advance to the next stage of clinical development while putting the necessary conditions in place. Under this agreement, Navigate will obtain the exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize these candidates, and will lead global development centered on the United States. As consideration for this agreement, we have received a certain percentage of Navigate’s shares, and we also have the right to receive milestone payments of up to USD 345 million depending on the progress of future development, approval, and sales. In addition, after the product launch, AlphaNavi is eligible to receive royalties based on product sales. In global markets including the United States, against the backdrop of the drug abuse and side effect issues associated with existing opioids (the opioid crisis), there are strong unmet medical needs to develop safe and highly effective non-opioid pain drugs. These candidates were originally created at Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (formerly Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.), after which our company succeeded the business through a carve-out and has been advancing its research and clinical development. These candidates are novel voltage-gated sodium channel inhibitors that do not rely on opioids, and are small-molecule compounds already in the clinical stage. Aiming to improve convenience for patients and provide treatment options tailored to symptoms, we are advancing the development of transdermal formulations, including patches, in addition to oral formulations. The Company considers it one of our important roles to connect drug discovery seeds originating in Japan to global pharmaceutical development. As part of this partnership with Navigate, the Company will not remain merely a licensor, rather as a shareholder and strategic partner of Navigate, we will support the company’s global development. With a view to advancing future clinical development, we and Navigate will explore the potential for broad collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, CROs, CDMOs, and other business companies in areas such as strategic partnerships including capital participation, research and development, investigational drug manufacturing, technology transfer, and business development. Our President and CEO, Yoshihiro Oyamada, stated as follows: “This program originated from Japan’s outstanding drug discovery platform and is an important Japan-originated pipeline that we have been developing for intractable pain. By joining forces with Navigate’s U.S. team, which has a strong track record of success at the Roivant Group and elsewhere, the Company will promote global development centered on the United States, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market. To lead pharmaceutical development to success, not only funding but also a strong ecosystem for manufacturing, development, and commercialization is indispensable. The Company will broadly seek collaboration with outstanding pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and CDMOs in Japan and overseas, and establish a new global expansion model that delivers excellent Japan-originated drug discovery seeds to patients around the world.” AlphaNavi Pharma Inc. is a drug discovery biotech start-up primarily engaged in research and development focused on the pain field. Founded in 2019, the company originated from a business carve-out from Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (formerly Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.) and received investment from venture capital firms including Kyoto University Innovation Capital and Shinsei Capital Partners. With a focus on non-opioid pain drug candidates, the company is advancing the research and development of new treatments for intractable pain, neuropathic pain, and other conditions for which existing therapies have not provided sufficient efficacy. Navigate Therapeutics, Inc. is a U.S. clinical-stage biotechnology company established in 2025 to globally develop and commercialize novel non-opioid voltage-gated sodium channel inhibitors. Navigate’s pipelines consist of ANP-230 (current development code: NTX-230) and ANP-390 (current development code: NTX-390), licensed from the Company. Navigate’s co-founders include members with experience in company formation, business operations, and clinical development at U.S. drug discovery ventures, including Roivant Sciences and its affiliated biotech companies. The co-founders include the following. Kunal Kishnani, Board of Directors. Current and previous roles include serving as Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development of Ambros Therapeutics, as Co-Founder and Head of Operations of Genevant Sciences, and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Warden Bio (acquired by Kriya Therapeutics). Alex Nguyen, JD, Board of Directors. Previous roles include serving as Chief Legal Officer and Head of Operations of UNITY Biotechnology, along with several roles at Roivant Sciences and its subsidiaries. Tharak Rao, MD, Chief Medical Officer. Previous roles include serving as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Clinical Development at multiple biotech companies. ANP-230 and ANP-390 are orally available small-molecule non-opioid pain drug candidates that target voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) in peripheral nerves, which play important roles in the generation and transmission of pain. ANP-230 inhibits Nav1.7, Nav1.8, and Nav1.9, which are involved in pain, while ANP-390 selectively inhibits Nav1.7. In nonclinical studies for both candidates to date, efficacy has been confirmed in multiple models of neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, and pruritus, among others. Additionally, clinical trials are being conducted both in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom and based on the clinical and non-clinical data obtained to date, the Company will promote global development mainly in the United States together with Navigate. AlphaNavi Pharma Inc. Contact: Hirotsugu Hayashi E-mail: h.hayashi@alphanavi.com

Expanded agreement builds on the license Jocasta acquired from Unity Biotechnology SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Jocasta Neuroscience, Inc., a biotechnology company developing therapeutics to address neurodegenerative diseases, today announced it has entered into a new licensing agreement with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) through its Innovation Ventures office to develop α-klotho-based therapies aimed at enhancing cognitive function. The agreement supersedes and expands the license Jocasta previously acquired from Unity Biotechnology. α-klotho is a naturally occurring protein whose levels decline with age. Research conducted at UCSF has linked restored or elevated α-klotho levels to improved cognitive function and resilience against neurodegenerative decline, making it one of the most closely watched targets in aging biology. Jocasta plans to apply its α-klotho manufacturing and therapeutic development expertise to advance this research toward the clinic. JN-0413, Jocasta's lead α-klotho candidate, has continued to advance through preclinical development. The company expects to begin Phase 1 human trials at the start of 2027. "This agreement builds directly on the progress we've made advancing JN-0413 and sharpens our focus on one of the most promising applications of α-klotho biology: cognition," said Albert Agro, PhD, CEO of Jocasta. "UCSF's research has been foundational to the field, and we're glad to deepen that relationship under terms that reflect where the science has moved." "Cognitive decline is one of our biggest biomedical challenges and the most devastating consequence of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease. The biology pointing to α-klotho as a way to protect and even enhance brain function is among the most compelling in the field," said Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and the David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease at UCSF. "We're excited to test α-klotho in humans in the near future and see whether it can improve patients' lives." Under the terms of the agreement, Jocasta receives exclusive rights to α-klotho-related intellectual property held by UCSF. The license covers the use of α-klotho-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS, as well as mental and mood disorders, neural impairments from injury or illness, and enhancement of cognitive and motor function. Financial terms were not disclosed. In connection with the new agreement, Jocasta and Unity Biotechnology also reconciled the original license agreement between the two companies. As a result, Jocasta has no further milestone payments or royalty obligations owed to Unity under that agreement. About Jocasta Jocasta Neuroscience, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotech company developing JN-0413, a proprietary formulation of α-klotho protein, to treat cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative-induced dementia. Jocasta's foundational data demonstrates the critical role of α-klotho in health and disease – from human genetics (effect of KL mutations) to robust cognitive enhancement in healthy rats, rodent disease models and non-human primates. Backed by this body of evidence, JN-0413 will advance into clinical trials at the start of 2027. About UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF's primary academic medical system, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at ucsf.edu.  Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Jocasta Neuroscience, Inc. 21% more press release views with Request a Demo

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Jocasta Neuroscience has secured a direct license from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) covering α-klotho-based therapeutics, replacing an earlier sublicense it had held through Unity Biotechnology (UBX) and extinguishing all remaining milestone and royalty obligations to Unity in the process. The agreement, executed through UCSF Innovation Ventures, grants Jocasta exclusive rights to UCSF's α-klotho intellectual property across a broad therapeutic scope: neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as mental and mood disorders, neural impairments from injury or illness, and enhancement of cognitive and motor function. Financial terms were not disclosed. Jocasta's lead asset, JN-0413, is a proprietary formulation of α-klotho protein described by the company as targeting cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative-induced dementia. The company said it expects to initiate Phase I human trials in early 2027, with an investigational new drug (IND) submission targeted for Q4 2026. The asset remains in preclinical development. The deal simplifies Jocasta's IP structure following the dissolution of Unity Biotechnology, from which Jocasta had previously obtained its sublicense. Unity shareholders approved the company's dissolution in September 2025, and the company subsequently filed a certificate of dissolution. The new agreement establishes a direct licensing relationship between Jocasta and UCSF while eliminating Jocasta's remaining obligations to Unity. The IP chain has a clear history. UCSF originally licensed the α-klotho program to Unity in May 2019. Unity out-licensed it to Jocasta in December 2021, as part of a broader retreat toward its senolytic ophthalmology focus. The 2026 UCSF agreement supersedes that sublicense structure entirely, with the press release explicitly stating Jocasta has no further obligations to Unity under the original agreement. Jocasta raised a USD 35 million Series A in August 2025, led by True Ventures with participation from Moore Strategic Ventures, SC8 Investments, and Glentura, specifically to fund JN-0413 through Phase I. The α-klotho space has attracted at least one competing modality. Avant Technologies and Austrianova secured an exclusive license in November 2025 for a proprietary klotho-producing cell line using Austrianova's encapsulated cell-based delivery platform — a structurally distinct approach from Jocasta's recombinant protein formulation. No large pharma has yet taken a direct licensing position in recombinant α-klotho therapeutics, leaving Jocasta as potentially the most advanced dedicated recombinant program on a traditional IND track. Access the AllSci platform to explore the science behind the news. Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article