Company History
Emtora Biosciences is a clinical stage life science company developing a novel formulation of rapamycin, eRapa™, for use in preventing the onset and recurrence of cancer. eRapa™ was originally developed for use in aging studies by Dr. Z. David Sharp and Dr. Randy Strong at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT Health San Antonio in 2009. Their work uncovered numerous potential uses for eRapa™ in the fields of oncology, immunology, neurology, and trauma.
eRapa™ is the only pharmaceutical agent to demonstrate significantly increased health span and lifespan in rodent models, and Science, Nature, and Time magazines proclaimed the discovery of a special formulation of rapamycin to extend one’s life and health span among the most significant and exciting scientific breakthroughs of 2009.
eRapa™ was licensed for development to Emtora Biosciences (formerly Rapamycin Holdings, Inc.) in late 2012. In 2024, Emtora entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Biodexa Pharmaceuticals PLC for the commercialization of eRapa™.
Significant milestones in the company's history include the following:
- Launched eRapa-laced mouse chow products for the preclinical research market, generating product sales revenue while supporting a growing community of researchers conducting longevity, aging, and disease-focused studies.
- Completed numerous preclinical studies, generating critical data to support the advancement of innovative therapeutic candidates toward clinical development.
- Secured key patents covering the novel formulation as a composition of matter, its manufacturing process, and multiple methods of use, including proprietary dosing and treatment regimens across a range of target disease indications
- Completed a Phase 1 safety and dose escalation study in low grade prostate cancer patients and Phase 2 efficacy studies in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).
- Secured over $20M in grant funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support the development of eRapa™ for the treatment of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP).
Pipeline
Emtora launched a Phase 3 trial of Serenta (eRapa™) in 2025. The Serenta trial (NCT06950385) is a double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 168 patients, randomized 2:1 drug / placebo to evaluate the safety and efficacy of eRapa™ in individuals diagnosed with FAP.