It takes a small team to solve for the biggest needs in kidney disease.
Unicycive began with a question: “how can we leverage previously overlooked opportunities to solve the biggest challenges in kidney health?” From there, we assembled some of the brightest minds in healthcare to join a small, mighty, and focused team to turn potential into progress and got to work.
Our Approach
Think small
Our ambitions are huge. The team that will achieve them isn’t. By handpicking expert leaders and remaining small, we’re able to move quickly, cut out unneeded bureaucracy, and keep our eyes on the mission of helping patients.
Underdog mentality
We seek out previously overlooked opportunities and technology and discover new and better uses for them. We see this as a relay, and not a marathon.
Expert collaboration
Our small but mighty leadership team is able to make decisive decisions and move quickly. And our vast healthcare network allows us to connect with patients, HCPs, investors, and scientists, to listen, learn, and innovate.
Finishability
Potential is not good enough. We focus on opportunities with a clear path to the finish line to help patients now, and not years from now.
Meet the Team
Shalabh Gupta, MD
Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics
Dr. Shalabh Gupta’s background has spanned many facets of healthcare, including founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biocycive Inc., a commercial strategy role at Genentech, Inc., equity researcher covering US pharmaceutical companies at UBS Investment Bank, and as an equity researcher covering biotechnology companies at Rodman & Renshaw (currently HC Wainwright), and medical advisor to Synageva BioPharma Corporation.
Shalabh’s unwavering focus on patient success began before his roles in business and finance, while he was an attending physician at NYU Medical Center and a clinical faculty member at the NYU School of Medicine.
Shalabh founded Unicycive in 2016, as a continuation of his lifelong mission to deliver game-changing solutions that would make the biggest impact for the most underserved patients on the planet.
Executive Leadership
Douglas Jermasek, M.B.A. Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy
Guru Reddy, Ph.D. Vice President of Preclinical R&D
John Townsend, C.P.A. Chief Financial Officer
Pramod Gupta, Ph.D. Executive Vice President of Pharmaceutical & Business Operations
Board of Directors
A powerhouse of biotech and business innovators
Our Board of Directors and Scientific Board of Directors consists of some of the most esteemed leaders in medicine, biotech, and business. Their governance paired with Unicycive’s leadership team has us uniquely positioned to make a difference in healthcare.
Current Pipeline
Turning overlooked technologies
into life-transforming therapies.
We’ve redefined the biotech formula to spot what others miss, turn potential into progress, and bring therapies to market with agility, via an end-to-end mining process.
Our different processes
Prospect
We research, explore, and converse to identify unmet patient needs.
Uncover
We unearth existing technologies that we’re previously overlooked, but can be repurposed to provide unmatched solutions.
Refine
Our teams turn existing opportunities into usable, impactful therapies.
Launch
We aim to bring therapies to market that can have an immediate impact for patients.
Our pipeline
UNI-494
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common and serious medical condition characterized by a sudden decline in kidney function. In the U.S., AKI impacts 1 in 5 hospitalized adults, with higher prevalence among those in intensive care units3.
UNI-494 is a patented pro-drug of nicorandil which is currently in development for the treatment of AKI. Nicorandil has been shown in preclinical models to improve mitochondrial function by blocking the opening of MPTP pores in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
Learn moreOxylanthanum Carbonate (OLC)
Hyperphosphatemia is a silent killer that affects more than 80% of patients on dialysis and has been directly linked to increased morbidity and mortality1. Despite the availability of 7 FDA-approved phosphate-lowering therapies, hyperphosphatemia remains uncontrolled in an estimated 75% of US dialysis patients2.
OLC is a next-generation lanthanum-based phosphate binding agent utilizing proprietary nanoparticle technology being developed for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis, and may have meaningful patient adherence benefits over currently available treatment options as it requires a lower pill burden for patients in terms of the number and size of pills per dose.
Learn more
The FDA has set a PDUFA action date of June 28, 2025 for OLC
Investor Information
We’re bullish on the future of kidney disease solutions
NASDAQ: UNCY
Our investors make it possible for us to create meaningful, positive impact. We believe the best way to create value for investors is to solve for the biggest, immediate needs for patients, and we’re grateful to those who join us on this journey.
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References: 1. Kestenbaum B, Sampson JN, Rudser KD, et al. Serum phosphate levels and mortality risk among people with chronic kidney disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2005;16(2):520-528. doi:10.1681/ASN.2004070602 2. US-DOPPS Practice Monitor, May 2021; http://www.dopps.org/DPM 3. Ugwuowo U, Yamamoto Y, Arora T, et al. Real-Time Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury in Hospitalized Adults: Implementation and Proof of Concept. Am J Kidney Dis. 2020;76(6):806-814.e1. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.05.003