SEPN

Septerna, Inc.

A clinical-stage biotechnology company crafting oral small-molecule medicines aimed at G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), cell-surface proteins tied to many diseases that have historically been hard to drug. Its scientists use a 'Native Complex Platform' to isolate and study these receptors in a form that mimics the body's cell membranes. Founded in 2019 by Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz and colleagues, the company's name blends 'sept,' for the receptors' seven membrane-spanning domains, with 'terna,' from the model he developed for how they work.