CYTK

Cytokinetics Inc

A biopharmaceutical company in South San Francisco that develops muscle-directed medicines for heart and muscle diseases. Its approved drug, MYQORZO (aficamten), treats obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle thickens and works too hard. Founded in 1997 by four scientists, including Stanford's James Spudich, the company grew out of research on myosin, the motor protein that powers muscle contraction. The name "Cytokinetics" blends "cyto" (cell) and "kinetics" (motion), reflecting the founders' original study of how cells move.