Flagship Startup Emerges to Find Drugs in Promising Hunting Ground—Our Bodies

Empress Therapeutics, utilizing its AI-driven technology platform, explores molecules that have co-evolved with humans for millennia as a promising reservoir of novel drugs. Nature has been a rich source of medicines, with cancer drugs from tree bark and antibiotics from soil. Yet, the human body itself remains relatively unexplored for potential therapeutic molecules. Empress Therapeutics' co-founder and CEO, Jason Park, acknowledges the existing inspiration from nature in drug development. However, he highlights the untapped potential of small molecules residing within us, shaped by co-evolution with humans in both healthy and diseased states, making them promising candidates for drug research.