Jocasta Neuroscience secures direct UCSF license for α-klotho, clearing path to 2027 Phase I trial
核心洞察
Jocasta Neuroscience (搜索) has secured a direct, exclusive license from UCSF covering α-klotho-based therapeutics, replacing its earlier sublicense held through Unity Biotechnology.
The agreement eliminates all remaining milestone and royalty obligations to Unity, simplifying Jocasta's intellectual property structure ahead of clinical development.
Lead candidate JN-0413 (搜索), a proprietary subcutaneous α-klotho formulation targeting cognitive decline, is slated for an IND submission in Q4 2026 and Phase I trials in early 2027.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Jocasta Neuroscience (搜索) has secured a direct license from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) covering α-klotho-based therapeutics, replacing an earlier sublicense it had held through Unity Biotechnology (UBX) and extinguishing all remaining milestone and royalty obligations to Unity in the process.
The agreement, executed through UCSF Innovation Ventures, grants Jocasta exclusive rights to UCSF's α-klotho intellectual property across a broad therapeutic scope: neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (搜索) (ALS), as well as mental and mood disorders, neural impairments from injury or illness, and enhancement of cognitive and motor function. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Simplifying the intellectual property chain
The deal simplifies Jocasta's IP structure following the dissolution of Unity Biotechnology, from which Jocasta had previously obtained its sublicense. Unity shareholders approved the company's dissolution in September 2025, and the company subsequently filed a certificate of dissolution. The new agreement establishes a direct licensing relationship between Jocasta and UCSF while eliminating Jocasta's remaining obligations to Unity.
The IP chain has a clear history. UCSF originally licensed the α-klotho program to Unity in May 2019. Unity out-licensed it to Jocasta in December 2021, as part of a broader retreat toward its senolytic ophthalmology focus. The 2026 UCSF agreement supersedes that sublicense structure entirely, with the press release explicitly stating Jocasta has no further obligations to Unity under the original agreement.
Lead candidate JN-0413 and clinical timeline
Jocasta's lead asset, JN-0413 (搜索), is a proprietary formulation of α-klotho protein described by the company as targeting cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative-induced dementia. The company said it expects to initiate Phase I human trials in early 2027, with an investigational new drug (IND) submission targeted for Q4 2026. The asset remains in preclinical development.
Jocasta raised a USD 35 million Series A in August 2025, led by True Ventures with participation from Moore Strategic Ventures, SC8 Investments, and Glentura, specifically to fund JN-0413 (搜索) through Phase I.
Translating UCSF klotho research
The agreement builds on research conducted at UCSF into α-klotho, a naturally occurring protein associated with longevity and brain resilience. Levels of the protein decline with age, and research has suggested that increasing α-klotho may improve cognitive function and protect against age-related neurological decline.
Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, a UCSF Professor of Neurology and the David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease, has led research into klotho's role in brain ageing. UCSF describes her work as investigating how klotho can enhance cognition and increase resilience to neurodegenerative disease. Recent research from Dubal and colleagues has also examined the relationship between klotho and cognitive resilience in Parkinson's disease (搜索), with findings published in The Journal of Neuroscience in May. Dubal is also a scientific co-founder of Jocasta, according to a UCSF event disclosure, making the new agreement a continuation of the relationship between the university research program and the company developing the technology.
The underlying science has previously extended into non-human primate studies. A 2023 Nature Aging study reported that a single dose of α-klotho improved working memory in aged rhesus macaques, with effects lasting for several weeks.
Competitive landscape
The α-klotho space has attracted at least one competing modality. Avant Technologies and Austrianova secured an exclusive license in November 2025 for a proprietary klotho-producing cell line using Austrianova's encapsulated cell-based delivery platform — a structurally distinct approach from Jocasta's recombinant protein formulation. No large pharma has yet taken a direct licensing position in recombinant α-klotho therapeutics, leaving Jocasta as potentially the most advanced dedicated recombinant program on a traditional IND track.