he launched Odyssey in 2021<\/a>, based in Boston, he described it as the culmination of over 30 years of bioscience research, dating back to his time as a chemistry professor at the University of Michigan. Initially, Odyssey’s focus included cancer and autoimmune diseases, but the company has since narrowed its efforts exclusively to autoimmune conditions.<\/p>\nOdyssey’s research targets the innate immune system, which serves as the body’s first line of defense. This distinct approach sets Odyssey’s medications apart from existing treatments, which generally focus on the adaptive immune system. According to the company’s IPO filings, they believe upstream intervention could enhance current therapies by integrating their molecules into multi-drug regimens, potentially decreasing the risk of immunosuppression\u2014a common concern with many existing medications.<\/p>\n
The lead program, OD-001, is being developed for ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This oral small molecule aims to inhibit RIPK2, an innate immune system signaling protein linked to IBD. Odyssey’s SEC filings note that, despite more than ten approved therapies for IBD, placebo-adjusted remission rates have plateaued at 25%. Furthermore, they report that approximately 45% of responders to existing therapies lose their response within five years.<\/p>\n
Odyssey is advancing OD-001 through an open-label Phase 2a study, evaluating the drug as a monotherapy. Preliminary data indicate the medication is safe and well-tolerated, with signs of potential benefit for patients. The company plans to move OD-001 into a placebo-controlled Phase 2a study, testing the small molecule in combination with Takeda’s Entyvio, a standard IBD treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe this will be the first evaluation of an innate and adaptive immune therapy for IBD, and given the RIPK2 mechanism relative to approved or experimental therapies, it may allow for orthogonal combinations that could potentially enhance efficacy and also prevent resistance by targeting inflammatory monocytes, a key cell type in patients with therapy resistance,\u201d the company stated in its IPO filing.<\/p>\n
Odyssey also plans to assess its lead drug as a monotherapy, with a Phase 2b study anticipated to start in the second half of this year, comparing OD-001 to a placebo. Preliminary results from both the Phase 2a and Phase 2b studies are expected by the second half of 2027 during the induction period, where treatment aims to control symptoms. Post-induction, OD-001 will undergo further evaluation as a maintenance therapy.<\/p>\n
Another development program from Odyssey, named OD-002, is designed to inhibit a target known as SLC15A4. The company indicated that both OD-001 and OD-002 show promise in treating various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including those driven by pathogenic B cells. While its most advanced programs involve small molecules, Odyssey’s preclinical research also encompasses other drug types, such as therapeutic proteins and regulatory T cells.<\/p>\n
Since its inception in 2021, Odyssey has reported raising $726.5 million, most recently via a $213 million Series D round<\/a> in September. SR One stands as the largest shareholder with a 7.2% stake post-IPO, followed by OrbiMed with a 6% share, according to the filings. Odyssey reported a cash position of $216.6 million at the end of 2025.<\/p>\nWith proceeds from the IPO, Odyssey plans to allocate approximately $135 million toward Phase 2a and Phase 2b clinical trials for OD-001 in treating ulcerative colitis, alongside a budget of $50 million to progress OD-002 from late preclinical research to a Phase 1\/2a study. The company expects its capital to sustain operations through the second half of 2028.<\/p>\n
Photo by Odyssey Therapeutics<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Odyssey Therapeutics, under the leadership of serial biotechnology entrepreneur Gary Glick, is on a quest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biopharma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1651,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1649\/revisions\/1651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealthcontent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}