Now out of business, Arête Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, engaged in the discovery and development of drugs to treat diabetes, and inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases. It had been focused on developing AR9281, an orally-administered compound that inhibits s-EH (soluble epoxide hydrolase), an enzyme that plays a key role in the metabolism of arachidonic acid. The firm had been focused to discovering and developing first in class small molecule drugs directed at novel targets for cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. The Companys proprietary therapies had been directed at a new branch of arachidonic acid metabolism, which is a proven (US $10+B) pathway for therapeutic intervention in a variety of inflammatory diseases. Arete's technology was based on a portfolio of issued and pending patents resulting from over two decades of research by Dr. Bruce Hammock (Distinguished Professor and Scientific Founder) at the University of California at Davis. The company had a series of proprietary molecules with preclinical efficacy in various animal models of hypertension, renal and lung inflammation. An IND candidate from this series will be selected in 1H06 for progression into Phase Ia/Ib clinical development in 1H07
