News
EvoDenovo wins $100K MassVentures START grant
August 13, 2026
MassVentures selected EvoDenovo for a $100,000 Stage I START grant, funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to help companies commercialize their SBIR-funded research. The award will help advance NB20, our rapid-acting biologic for treatment-resistant depression.
BioWorld covers the mGlyR study
February 6, 2026
BioWorld reported on the preclinical research showing that blocking the brain receptor mGlyR reverses depressive-like behavior in mice.
University of Miami highlights work with EvoDenovo
February 3, 2026
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine announced the Nature Communications findings and noted that its team is working with EvoDenovo to develop the approach for patients and evaluate its safety.
Nature Communications publishes mGlyR research
January 26, 2026
Our co-founder Kirill Martemyanov and his team at the University of Miami published their mGlyR depression study in Nature Communications. The preclinical study shows that blocking mGlyR produces fast and lasting antidepressant-like effects in animal models.
Phase 2 SBIR grant
September 2024
We are thrilled to announce that we’ve been awarded a Phase 2 SBIR grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), bringing our total NIH SBIR funding to nearly $3 million. This funding will accelerate our development of a novel therapy targeting a new G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).
Our innovative approach aims to enhance pain relief while reducing dependence, addressing the urgent need for better treatments for those struggling with pain and addiction.
Science2Startup
May 3, 2023
In the Science2Startup (S2S) symposium that took place on May 3, 2023, Kirill Martemyanov, the Co-founder of EvoDenovo, was one of the ten presenters. He shared new strategies for enhancing the safety of opioid drugs and combating opioid use disorder, based on the innovative discovery of novel drug targets.
An Anti-Opioid System, Courtesy of a Worm Model
November 21, 2019
A forward genetic screen using the worm Caenorhabditis elegans implicated the G protein–coupled receptor 139 in suppressing signaling by the mu opioid receptor. Further experiments in mouse models suggest that antagonizing this receptor could enhance the analgesic efficacy of medicinal opioids.
Countering opioid side effects
September 20, 2019
Over 45,000 Americans now die annually from opioid overdose, surpassing deaths from car accidents. Opioids cause two-thirds of drug-related deaths globally. To combat this, scientists are developing treatments to prevent opioid side effects like addiction and fatal respiratory depression. In recent research, Wang et al. found that GPR139, an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, regulates opioid receptors and may help reduce these side effects.
Orphan GPCR exhibits anti-opioid activity
September 3, 2019
Improved understanding of the mammalian μ-opioid receptor (MOR) system is vital for the development of safer opioid analgesics. Here, Wang et al. generate transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans expressing the mammalian MOR (tgMOR) for unbiased genetic discovery of opioid modulators. By engineering mutations in ∼2,500 tgMOR animals, they ultimately identified the orphan receptor, GPR139, as a negative regulator of MOR signalling. GPR139 is coexpressed with MOR in opioid-sensitive brain regions and influences MOR trafficking and signalling properties. GPR139 deletion in mice enhanced opioid-induced inhibition of neuronal firing, increased the analgesic and rewarding effects of morphine and reduced withdrawal.
Worms lead scientists to a new anti-opioid system
2019
NIH-funded researchers used gene-modified worms to identify a biological system, featuring the gene GPR139, that counteracts opioid effects. This discovery, which was tested in mice, could potentially increase opioid safety and reduce addiction risks. The findings also emphasize the potential of using the simple C. elegans worm for genetic discovery. The research, conducted by scientists at Scripps Research and the University of Kansas, was recently published in Science.
