Setara Biosciences

Setara Biosciences develops small molecule precision medicines that correct the overactivity of disease-causing proteins in severe rare diseases. Its lead program, STAR-0871, is an oral, potential first-in-class TRPV4 inhibitor for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2C, a rare neuromuscular disorder affecting roughly 2,500 people in the U.S.

STAR-0871 has already cleared the healthy-volunteer stage of a Phase 1 trial and carries FDA Rare Pediatric Disease, Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations, with a Phase 1b planned for 2027. A Phase 2a in overactive bladder — a condition affecting tens of millions — tests the thesis that a rare-disease target can scale to a far larger population.

Setara launched in October 2026, spun out to carry forward the remaining pipeline of Actio Biosciences after Actio was acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. It arrives with a $90M Series A and much of Actio's original team intact.

The company is led by co-founder Dr. David Goldstein, who also founded Actio and was the founding director of Columbia University's Institute for Genomic Medicine; CSO Dr. David Breckenridge is another Actio alumnus. The team's stated edge is deep expertise in Mendelian genetics and data science to find targets others miss.