In this episode, filed at Science Square in Atlanta, we speak with David Francis and Mighten Yip of Palate Therapeutics, whose mission is to alter people’s food preferences away from sugary foods using therapeutic mouthwash.
We’ll talk about:
How it got started over a few cups of Kombucha
Why they moved from New York to Atlanta
The benefits of staying scrappy when you are founding a biotech firm
The health effects of processed foods on our diets
How the cards are stacked against everyday people when it comes to eating healthy
The role that taste and the dopamine signaling the brain play in sugar addiction
How they raised funding from Novo Nordisk and other sources and what they are using the proceeds for
Why Martin started Nucleate in Atlanta to support academics who want to pursue biotech entrepreneurship
Should founders remain CEO as the business goes from concept to commercialization?
Palate Therapeutics:
Palate Therapeutics, is engineering a groundbreaking therapy utilizing oligonucleotides targeting taste buds. This therapy has the unique ability to temporarily and reversibly alter how sweet foods taste. Unlike conventional methods that modify metabolism after food is consumed, our approach provides a novel strategy to prevent and manage metabolic diseases, restore balanced diets, and enhance sustainable weight management.
Team:
David Francis and Mighten Yip both did their PhDs in Bioengineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. David's work focused on nanoparticle drug delivery and different routes of administration to improve drug efficacy. Following his PhD, he worked in industry for Seagen and Sorrento Therapeutics as a scientist working to bring new drug modalities and devices to IND and clinical stages. Mighten's work focused on neuroengineering and developed robotic instrumentation to study the brain. While pursuing his PhD, he started his own company based on his graduate work automating the patch-clamp technique for high-throughput experiments screening pharmacological compounds. He also founded the Nucleate Atlanta chapter to empower academic trainees to bring biotech ideas to market.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website and podcast are purely informational and not considered investment recommendations. Tim Dougherty’s participation in Biotech Insights is separate and apart from his role as an investment advisor representative. Nothing contained herein may be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any of the companies discussed. Tim Dougherty has no financial affiliation with any of the companies mentioned in this communication. Tim Dougherty makes no representation that the information conveyed in this material is accurate and is under no obligation to update this information as changes occur.
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