October 2024
EpiVario Announces Issuance of Seminal Patents Covering ACSS2 Inhibitors and their Use in Substance Use Disorders Read More
EpiVario is an innovation focused biotechnology company that is developing neuroepigenetic modulators to treat memory related addiction and psychiatric disorders.
Our cofounders, Dr. Shelley Berger and Dr. Philipp Mews are leaders
in the field of neuroepigenetics.
Recently, they published the discovery of a key metabolic enzyme, ACSS2, which functions in the nucleus of neurons to activate genes as memories are established or reconsolidated after recall (Nature, 2017 & 2019, PNAS 2022).
EpiVario Inc. is pioneering epigenetic therapeutics for modern-day treatments of neuropsychiatric disorders. Spun out of the Epigenetics Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, the company develops pharmacotherapeutics that target a newly discovered epigenetic process in long-term memory. By targeting this activity to modulate stress- and drug-related memories, Epivario is creating a novel, highly effective approach to treating PTSD and substance use disorders.
Opioid Addiction Crisis
Targeting Substance Use Disorders
- Breakthrough discovery of epigenetic gene regulation of memory formation
- Neuroepigenetic Platform — variety of memory-related psychiatric disorders starting with nicotine
Available treatments lack efficacy because the distress associated with the original trauma memory remains. EpiVario’s treatment focuses on reducing this distress; and, thereby, reducing the burden in overcoming PTSD.
EpiVario is rooted
in its expertise in epigenetics.
Using that rich source of learning, we are revolutionizing therapies for psychiatric disorders that plague a significant portion of the population, including those suffering from:
- Opioid Use Disorder
- Alcohol Use Disorder
- Nicotine Use Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
News
October 2024
EpiVario Announces Appointment of Chris Cashman to the Board of Directors Read More
June 2024
EpiVario Awarded NIH Grant to Advance Research in Treatments for Cocaine Use Disorder Read More
May 2024
EpiVario Licenses Portfolio of ACSS2 Inhibitor Compounds to ReEngage Therapeutics for Cancer IndicationsRead More
January 2024
EpiVario Announces Acquisition of Acetyl CoA Synthetase 2 (ACSS2) Inhibitor Portfolio from Metabomed LTDRead More
January 2024
EpiVario to Present at BIOTECH SHOWCASE™ 2024 Read More
October 2022
EpiVario Appoints New Scientific Advisory Board Members and Expands Operations Read More
September 2022
EpiVario Awarded NIH Grant to Advance Research in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) Read More
September 2022
A handful of Philly biotech companies snagged $240M in investments Read More
August 2022
Targeting acetyl-CoA metabolism attenuates the formation of fear memories through reduced activity-dependent histone acetylationRead More
August 2022
Translational Research Describes an Epigenetic Approach for Regulating Fear-Memory Read More
July 2022
Investor Update Read More
March 2021
PCI Ventures Spotlight Read More
February 2021
EpiVario Establishes Scientific Advisory Board Read More
January 2021
EpiVario Signs Option Agreement with the University of Pennsylvania for a New Epigenetic Marker for Alzheimer’s Disease Read More
August 2020
EpiVario is a Nature Research Awards Spinoff Prize 2020 Finalist Read More
November 2019
EpiVario Co-Founders publish in Nature: Alcohol metabolism contributes to brain histone acetylation Read More
November 2019
New Research Provides First Empirical Evidence of Link Between Alcohol Consumption and the Memory Formation ProcessRead More
November 2019
The Battle of PTSD featuring Epivario Listen Here
July 2019
The Need for a New Approach in Treating Psychiatric Disease Listen Here
May 2019
Penn spinoff advancing new way to treat memory-related disorders Read More
January 2019
EpiVario Secures Exclusive Worldwide License for Novel Technologies and Drugs for Memory-Related Psychiatric Diseases from University of Pennsylvania Read More
Dr.Philipp Mews, EpiVario Co-Founder
Co-Founders at the University of Pennsylvania discovered new mode of action for memory formation and re-consolidation that underlies the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders.
ACSS2 is necessary for the transcriptional induction of key neuronal genes and for the final stage of neuron differentiation. EpiVario is developing a proprietary small molecule inhibitor of ACSS2 to modulate a novel epigenetic process that controls neuronal plasticity and is the key to long-term memory formation.
Studies show that knock out mice develop normally – ACSS2 is not an essential gene.
Co-Founder Dr. Berger discussing EpiVario’s alcohol addiction therapy
Our Team
- Shelley Berger, PhD
- Co-Founder
- Daniel S. Och University Professor
University of Pennsylvania
- Philipp Mews, PhD
- Co-Founder
- Assistant Professor, Dept.
Pharmacology, Phys, & Biophys - Boston University School of Medicine
- Thomas Kim
- CEO & Board Member
- Biotech Executive & Corp.
Attorney Inovio Pharmaceuticals
DuPont, G.D. Searle
Board of Directors
- Eric Schultenover, J.D.
- Corporate Attorney / Entrepreneur
- Head of Enterprise Legal at Legility
- Yi-Yen Chen, PhD
- Assoc. Director PCI Ventures
- Former Partner
Echo Investment Capital
BD at Microbia Group - University of Pennsylvania
-
- Thomas Kim
- President & CEO
- Advisory Board Georgia
Tech School of Science
Scientific Advisory Board
- Li-Huei Tsai, PhD
- Director, Picower Institute
- for Learning and Memory at M.I.T.
- Eric Nestler, MD, PhD
- Director
- Friedman Brain Institute
- Tony Kouzarides, PhD,
- FMedCsi, FRS
- Professor of Cancer Biology University of Cambridge
- John H. Krystal, MD
- Chair Department of Psychiatry
Yale University
- Paul Kenny, Ph.D.
- Professor and Chair,
Drug Discovery Institute - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Anthony Ford-Hutchinson, PhD
- Over 30 years at and as Former Executive VP at Merck Pharmaceuticals.
- Current board member at several biotech companies, and has participated in several successful exits, including Okairos (GSK), Ligocyte (Takeda) and Novira (Johnson & Johnson)
Collaborators
- Marcello Wood
- Professor and Chair, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
- University of California, Irvine
-
- Paul Kenny, Ph.D.
- Professor and Chair,
Drug Discovery Institute - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Hagit Cohen, Ph.D.
- Professor
Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center - Ben-Gurion University
- Christopher Cowan, Ph.D.
- Chair, Department of Neuroscience
Medical University of South Carolina
- Matt Lattal
- Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine
- Oregon Health and Science University
Business Advisors
- John Maupin DDS, MBA
- Retired Healthcare Executive
- Former President, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Meharry Medical College
- Joan Lau, PhD, MBA
- Spirovant, CEO
- Partner at Militia Hill Ventures
- Chris Cashman
- Chairman MBF Therapeutics, Inc.
- Board of Rapid Micro Biosystems, Noble Biomaterials, The Science Center, and Life Sciences of Pennsylvania.
- Paul Stead, Ph.D
- Business Development Advisor
- Founder Devon Life Science Consulting LLC.
- Former CBO of SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals.
- Jeff Swarz, PhD
- Managing Director & Partner, MM Dillon
- Former biotech analyst,
Goldman Sachs and CSFB; - Co-Head healthcare banking, FBR
-
- Anthony Ford-Hutchinson, PhD
- Over 30 years at and as Former Executive VP at Merck Pharmaceuticals.
- Current board member at several biotech companies, and has participated in several successful exits, including Okairos (GSK), Ligocyte (Takeda) and Novira (Johnson & Johnson)
Consultants
- Micardo Johns, MBA
- Corporate Finance
- Financial executive with over 20 years of corporate investment
and financial strategy experience
- Mike Kramer
- Drug Development and Toxicology
- Pharmaceutical executive with over 25 years of operations and nonclinical drug-development
- Sean Johnston, PhD
- Drug Manufacturing / CMC
- Pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience on process development and manufacturing