Innovative Peptide Drugs
Stabilizing Nature's Most Precise Molecules
Natural regulatory peptides are highly specific but inherently unstable. Pepdura's proprietary platform enables the stabilization of these peptides through cyclization and chemical modification, preserving their selectivity while extending their half-life in the body. The result: safe, potent, and highly targeted drug candidates.
Innovation
Pepdura leads in transforming academic breakthroughs into clinical advancements. Holding an exclusive license for innovative university-developed technology, we aim to create safe, effective treatments.
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We're focusing on dynorphin analogues, synthesized and biologically active compounds that regulate the kappa opioid-receptor, offering significant therapeutic potential.
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Protected by two patent applications (PCT/EP2024/073298 and EP24170567.2), our technology and compounds are secure. Our goal is to select the best dynorphin analogue, conduct pre-IND studies, and advance to human trials, demonstrating our dedication to innovation, safety, and practical health solutions.
Behind the lab bench...
"The story behind Pepdura began at the bench in The Gruber Lab, driven by a simple question that kept coming up in our research: why does nature rely so heavily on unstable, short-lived peptides to control such critical biological functions? Over the years, I became fascinated by how these tiny molecules — often degraded within minutes — could trigger such precise and powerful effects in the body.
That curiosity turned into a mission. We started experimenting with ways to preserve their function while overcoming their fragility. It wasn’t easy — most attempts to stabilize them also switched-off their activity. But through persistence, teamwork, and some unexpected breakthroughs, we found ways to re-engineer these peptides without losing what made them special.
I never set out to found a company. But as the molecules got stronger, more selective, and longer-lasting, it became clear that they had real therapeutic potential. Pepdura was born from that realization: that the same molecules nature uses for fast, local signaling could become safe, long-acting drugs — if we learned how to speak their language."
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Chrisitian Gruber
(Biochemist and Associate Professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
