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© 2035 Damu Therapeutics.
Our Founding Story
A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
Sickle cell disease affects more than 300 million people worldwide — the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and other low-resource settings. For decades, hemoglobin S, the protein responsible, was written off as undruggable. The scientific community focused on gene therapy, bone marrow transplants, and downstream symptom management. The root cause was left untouched.
Damu was founded in 2024 by a team of structural biologists, computational chemists, and sickle cell disease advocates who believed the problem had been approached from the wrong angle. Hemoglobin wasn't undruggable — it was under-visualized. Static crystal structures couldn't capture the dynamic conformational states that drove polymerization. New tools could.
The name Damu — meaning "blood" in Swahili — reflects our commitment to the patients and communities most devastated by this disease. It is a reminder of who we are working for, and why we cannot afford to move slowly.
"We founded Damu to close a critical gap in hemoglobin targeting — refining how binding is measured to enable safer, more precise therapies for sickle cell disease."
01
Sickle cell disease is caused by a single amino acid substitution — Glu6Val — in the beta-globin chain. One mutation. Millions of lives affected.
02
No approved small molecule has ever directly targeted hemoglobin S polymerization — the initiating molecular event. We are changing that.
03
Our platform integrates NMR, machine learning, and medicinal chemistry into the first purpose-built hemoglobin targeting engine in the industry.
04
Global access is built into every molecule we design — not added at the end. Oral dosing. Scalable synthesis. Affordable cost of goods.
Our Promise
We are committed to unlocking hemoglobin as a precise and druggable target
developing scalable therapies designed to reduce suffering and improve outcomes for people living with sickle cell disease.
Sickle Cell Disease Remains a Serious Global Health Challenge
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects an estimated 7–8 million people worldwide¹ and approximately 100,000 individuals in the United States². Each year, nearly 500,000 infants are born with SCD globally¹, with the highest burden in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and other high-prevalence regions. Globally, SCD contributes to tens of thousands of deaths annually among children under five¹, particularly in areas with limited access to early diagnosis and treatment. In the U.S., individuals with SCD experience significantly reduced life expectancy compared with the general population².
Global Impact of Sickle Cell Disease
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¹ World Health Organization (WHO). Sickle-cell disease fact sheet.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sickle-cell-disease
*(WHO estimate)
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² National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Sickle Cell Disease.