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Presented by:

Andrew Kruse, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Harvard Medical School

Jeffrey Smith, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Harvard's Office of Technology Development and LabCentral invite you to the latest event in the Guppy Tank series, where Harvard life-science innovators will pitch their early-stage concepts to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors for constructive, in-depth feedback.

Please join us on Thursday, May 7 10 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at LabCentral to hear the presentation, learn from experts on startup formation, and participate in giving audience feedback. The event is accompanied by a reception with food and drinks. All are welcome!

Dr. Kruse and Dr. Smith welcome constructive feedback from the Guppy Tank panelists, and from the audience, on the commercialization strategy for this innovation.

Register Here

The Panel:

Gunes Bozkurt PhD - Director of Venture Investments, Beiersdorf

Chaya Patel PhD, Principal, Mission BioCapital

Mike Schlabach PhD - SVP, CSO Partner Team, Curie.Bio

Elias Quijano PhD - Principal, Northpond Ventures

About the Project:

The melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) plays a key role in regulating melanin production, which determines skin pigmentation. Peptide agonists targeting MC1R enhance melanin production, leading to increased pigmentation, with one FDA-approved to treat skin damage caused by porphyria. Unfortunately, the clinical utility of current MC1R peptides is significantly limited by their rapid clearance and cross-reactivity with other receptors within the melanocortin receptor family. Given the role of skin pigmentation in various diseases and skin cancer prevention, a selective and potent MC1R agonist could have multiple clinical uses: significantly improving upon current standard of care and expanding indications for a variety of ‘sunless tanning’ applications. We have created a molecule with high affinity and selectivity for the MC1R that may address this need.