RIGImmune

RIGImmune is a platform biopharmaceutical company developing a novel investigational class of RNA immunotherapies termed “SLRs” for the potential pan-viral treatment and prophylaxis of viral respiratory diseases and selected cancers. The RIGImmune development candidates act to specifically modulate RIG-I, a host surveillance pathway that triggers the innate immune system to enhance an intrinsic response to RNA viruses, including influenza, RSV, rhinovirus, and SARS-CoV-2, and tumor DNA. The lead development candidate at RIGImmune is RIG-101.

The company was co-founded by the prominent Yale University professors, Anna Marie Pyle, Ph.D. and Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D., who currently serve as scientific advisors to the company. Dr. Pyle co-discovered the RIG-I receptor family and conducted many of the first structural and biochemical investigations on the cytosolic protein, RIG-I. Dr. Pyle is also a specialist in RNA structure and design. She designed the stem-loop RNA therapeutics (SLR) for selective targeting of RIG-I using crystal structure data of RIG-I complexed with RNA and developed them as antitumor and anticancer compounds in collaboration with Dr. Iwasaki, whose expertise in mucosal immunity has been highly sought during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RIGImmune is a UConn Technology Incubation Program (TIP) company located in Farmington, CT, was founded by Yale scientists, and has an experienced management team of successful biotech entrepreneurs and world-renowned scientists.