aTyr Pharma Seeks to Modulate Activity in FSHD and Other Rare Disease

aTyr Pharma is exploring a new set of naturally occurring proteins within the body dubbed physiocrines that modulate biologic activity and may provide therapeutic benefit. The company is pursuing this new class of molecules to treat a number of rare diseases. The company’s lead drug candidate Resolaris is being developed to treat FSHD, a rare genetic myopathy in which immune cells invade diseased skeletal muscle and cause muscles to grow weak and deteriorate. We spoke to John Mendlein, CEO of Atyr Pharma, about physicorines, how they can restore homeostasis to the immune and other systems, and why these molecules might be harnessed to treat a range of diseases.