HARTFORD–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Artizan Biosciences, Inc., based in New Haven, has been named January’s “Innovator of the Month.” Artizan is a biotechnology company with a focus on developing precision medicines that target and block microbial-driven dysregulation and inflammation in the gut, the root causes of many serious diseases. The company’s unique approach to drug discovery uses the microbiome as a tool to identify the microbial drivers of gastrointestinal, metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases to design treatments.

This month,  Artizan   announced the selection of its lead product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). ARZC-001 is a novel, oral, gut-restricted small molecule inhibitor designed to address dysregulation and intestinal inflammation. IBD impacts an estimated 3 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Artizan also recently initiated a therapeutic discovery and development collaboration in Parkinson’s disease (PD), to examine recent scientific advances more thoroughly and better understand the pathogenic roles played by the gut microbiome in PD.

“The team at Artizan is forging a new path in drug discovery by looking at the microbiome for drivers of diseases like IBD and Parkinson’s disease. Their advancements in developing precision medicines will change people’s lives, and I look forward to seeing their continued growth in the state,” said Murphy.

“It’s an exciting time at Artizan as we pioneer the development of novel therapeutics to address diseases driven by intestinal microbial-driven inflammation and unlock the key drivers of disease that reside in the human microbiome,” said Bridget Martell, M.A., M.D., Artizan’s President and CEO. “We are honored to be recognized by the state of Connecticut and Senator Murphy as we continue this journey dedicated to providing unique treatment solutions to help patients in need.”

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are the building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies—the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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