Osta is currently focusing on the development of a novel therapeutic for the treatment of Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease. In addition Osta has a rich pipe line of validated targets for the development of novel therapeutics for Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and XLH. Osta's strategies for developing new therapeutics for these wide spread diseases that affect a majority of the aging population world-wide are highly original and have little or no precedence in the medical literature. Due to their novel mechanisms of action, the various drugs under development at Osta have the potential to complement current standards of care and satisfy largely unmet medical needs resulting in enhancement of the quality of life of millions of sufferers.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
A novel oral therapeutic under development.

Osteoporosis Therapeutic (OP)
A novel oral bone anabolic agent based on inhibition of PHEX enzyme under development.

Cancer
Osta’s scientific team has discovered a novel class of anti-cancer therapeutics that could be used as adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents to treat aggressive, metastatic, invasive and drug resistant tumors. OB-24, Osta’s lead anti-cancer compound is a novel class of cancer drugs that has demonstrated potent anti tumor activity in a number of drug resistant, aggressive and metastatic human tumor xenograft and orthotopic models and has been found to be well tolerated with no signs of any significant toxicity in mice when given repeatedly via i.p. and i.v. routes.  OB-24 is a potent and selective HO-1 inhibitor. HO-1, a 32 kDa enzyme is a member of heat shock proteins – HSP32 and catalyzes the conversion of heme, a powerful pro-oxidant into billiverdin, precursor of billirubin, a powerful anti-oxidant. HO-1 is induced in response to oxidative stress and hypoxia in tumors and provides cytoprotection to the tumors by blocking apoptosis and promoting angiogenesis. In tumors, other anti-oxidative enzymes such as SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase are highly down regulated, therefore, HO system seems to be the major anti-oxidative system in tumors. Tumors are well known to have high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, such as superoxide, lipid peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite. Moreover, HO-1 is known to up regulate p21. It is also very important to note that CO, a by product of HO-1 catalyzed conversion of heme, is known to inhibit apoptosis, protects against hypoxia, is known to activate p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and inhibits proapoptotic p53. Although the exact mechanism of action of OB-24 is not completely understood at this stage as regards its potent anti-tumor activity, it is possible that OB-24 raises the ROS levels in tumors beyond a threshold value and causes apoptosis and exerts anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic effects by inhibiting HO-1.

Therapeutic Agent for treatment of X-Linked Hypophosphatemic Rickets (XLH)
The Company is developing novel therapeutic agents that could be used to treat XLH. The Company plans to establish proof of validation of a novel drug for rickets treatment.