About
Our mission
xCystence Bio is developing a new therapeutic strategy for polycystic kidney disease. Using targeted protein degradation, we aim to eliminate Aurora kinase A (AURKA), the protein that drives cyst formation, rather than inhibit its kinase activity.
Our mission is to turn rigorous genetic insight into medicines that address cyst formation across the major forms of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
The problem we are solving
ADPKD is one of the most common life-threatening inherited disorders, affecting about 1 in 1,000 people worldwide. Fluid-filled cysts grow in both kidneys over decades. It is the fourth leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, and more than half of patients need dialysis or a transplant by age 60.
Tolvaptan is the only approved disease-modifying therapy. Its use is limited to rapidly progressing disease and by tolerability, so unmet need remains high. xCystence Bio was founded to address it.
Our origins
xCystence Bio is a Monash University spinout based in Clayton, Victoria. The company was founded on the Monash University discovery that AURKA is a master regulator of renal cyst development, published in Nature Communications in 2024.
For patients and families
If you or someone close to you is living with ADPKD, these patient organisations provide information, support and research updates:
PKD Foundation (United States)
xCystence Bio is not affiliated with these organisations.
