Raft Pharmaceuticals

Raft Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company that develops novel therapeutics targeting lipid rafts in inflamed and activated cells. Its platform focuses on regulating cholesterol trafficking within the plasma membrane to normalize clustered and cholesterol-overloaded lipid raft microdomains. This approach specifically targets inflamed glia and macrophages, which are central to the development of chronic pain conditions, including neuropathic pain, migraine, and neuroinflammation. The company's lead product candidates, such as the recombinant protein RFT1081 (also referred to as RFT-001), have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical animal models of chemotherapy- and nerve injury-induced pain.

The company's work addresses the significant medical and socioeconomic burden of chronic pain, for which current treatments like opiates and NSAIDs often have limited efficacy or carry risks of addiction and side effects. By developing targeted biologics to modulate inflammatory pathways, Raft Pharmaceuticals aims to provide safer and more effective prophylactic and therapeutic options. Supported by various NIH and STTR grants, the company conducts its research through collaborations with institutions such as the University of California, San Diego. Founded in 2015 by Yury Miller and Tony Yaksh, the San Diego-based firm continues to advance its therapeutic pipeline to address unmet needs in neurology and pain management.