Mizar S/TAR High-Throughput Platform for Identification of Senescence Altering Therapeutics

Mizar Therapeutics aims to leverage our Space/Time-Activity Relationship (S/TAR) platform, a new paradigm for mechanism of action (MOA)-based drug discovery, to identify novel senescence-modifying/senolytic compounds. S/TAR’s foundational enabling technology is Mizar’s novel “Tilt-AutoFocus (Tilt-AF),” a proprietary super-resolution, high-content imaging system adapted to track single molecules in living cells with minimal phototoxicity that allows us to track the spatial and temporal movements of individual target molecules in living cells at a finer scale than ever before. The system allows single-molecule imaging and tracking in living cells without phototoxicity (which often mimics senescence), enabling sensitive detection of changes in target activity due to direct compound-target interactions within any cellular compartment and any cell type. By identifying specific changes in target activity at baseline and in response to treatment in real time, we can ensure that compounds act directly on the target and result in the immediate and downstream consequences that are desired. This provides validation of mechanistic efficacy that extends beyond the target and MOA validation that can be achieved with other methods. This in turn drives more accurate structure–activity relationship (SAR) modeling, improving the accuracy and efficiency of compound screens and helping to avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes due to inadequate efficacy or off-target activity. In Phase II, Mizar will leverage this platform and the cellular model developed in Phase I to screen a library of compounds and identify senescence-modifying countermeasures (CMs), which will be further validated in a selective senolysis assay in preparation for testing in a relevant space radiation environment. The S/TAR platform is a significant addition to the global drug discovery services market, with potential customers including pharmaceutical companies as well as government agencies like NASA.