Protego Biopharma

Protego Biopharma is a private, preclinical-stage biotech based in San Diego, founded in 2017, targeting a broad range of degenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. The company's core technology platform utilizes pharmacological chaperones and modulators of the unfolded protein response (UPR) to correct protein stability and function. With a leadership and advisory team featuring pioneers in the protein misfolding field, including the co-discoverers of tafamidis, Protego is advancing a pipeline aimed at conditions with high unmet medical need, such as myopathy, cardiomyopathy, and retinal diseases. The company is currently pre-revenue and backed by a board with significant industry experience.

Dual-pronged platform: 1) Discovery of pharmacological chaperones (small molecules that bind and stabilize specific misfolding-prone proteins), and 2) Modulators of cellular proteostasis pathways, particularly the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), to enhance cellular protein-folding capacity.

Competition includes large pharma with internal proteostasis programs (e.g., Pfizer with tafamidis) and other biotechs targeting specific misfolding diseases (e.g., BridgeBio, Eidos for ATTR). The field is growing, with many players focusing on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, though Protego's initial rare disease focus may offer a differentiated niche.