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NATSAR Pharmaceuticals
NATSAR Pharmaceuticals is a Maryland company developing RK-33, a drug that blocks DDX3, a protein many tumours depend on. It plans a first trial in people.
Also called: Natsar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Natsar
Overview
NATSAR Pharmaceuticals, founded by Venu Raman of Johns Hopkins University, develops RK-33, a small-molecule inhibitor of the RNA helicase DDX3. The company reports anti-tumour activity in preclinical models of sarcoma, brain tumours, pancreatic, lung and triple-negative breast cancer and breast cancer bone metastasis, and radiosensitisation of cells that overexpress DDX3, and plans a phase 1 programme with an intravenous formulation. A National Cancer Institute SBIR award, in its second year in 2026, funds the development of RK-33 for breast cancer.
Headquarters
Ellicott City, MD, US
Scorecard
All companies#688of 1706 companies, score 4
- targets +2
- modalities +2
0 approved, 0 in phase 3, 0 earlier, 1 targets, 0 registry studies. Formula on the scorecards page.
Funding
All startupsStartup
Investors not recorded; see the round sources.
Rounds on record
| Round | Year | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant · NCI SBIR (R44) award 5R44CA295155-02: Drug development of RK-33 for breast cancer treatment | 2026 | $615K | reporter.nih.gov |
Amounts only where the cited source states them. Rounds without a public source are not listed.
Type
Stage
Startup
Products
1PreclinicalSmall-molecule inhibitor
RK-33 is an experimental drug from NATSAR Pharmaceuticals that blocks the DDX3 protein in cancer cells. It has been studied in the laboratory and a first trial in people is planned.
Notes
- Company website and the NIH RePORTER record read on 4 November 2026. The website calls RK-33 first-in-class; that is the company's claim.
Connected
4cancers
fronts
targets
drugs
PreclinicalSmall-molecule inhibitor
Sources
Every source this page cites, grouped by who published it. Grouping is read from the web address, not assigned by hand.
natsarpharmaceuticals.com · 1
nih.gov · 1
A source that has moved or gone is reported by the weekly link check. /audit/