Dr. Sendurai Mani, Associate Director for Translational Oncology at Legorreta Cancer Center and Professor of Pathology and Lab Medicine at Brown University, began his quest to find a cure for cancer during his time as a master’s student. It was during a conversation with his friend, Dr. Pradheep Kumar Challiyil, that the potential of plant-based treatments in cancer was revealed. Inspired by this revelation, Dr. Mani turned to his grandmother, a practitioner of plant-based, seeking her wisdom. She recommended a particular plant that held promise as a potential cancer cure.

Driven by this idea, Dr. Mani and Dr. Challiyil extracted and characterized the chemical compound from the plant that displayed tumor-killing properties. However, due to the non-patentable nature of natural compounds, Dr. Mani decided to develop a derivative of the compound as an anti-cancer molecule.

To advance this groundbreaking work, Dr. Mani approached various investors and potential partners, including Mr. Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director – Godavari Biorefineries (from the Somaiya Group) in Mumbai. Mr. Somaiya was always keen that Godavari Biorefineries being a research and knowledge driven company, should work on drug discovery and was ready to take on the challenge to work with Dr. Mani in the venture. Sathgen Therapeutics was created as a division of the company to take this opportunity forward.

In 2007, they founded Sathgen Therapeutics, a company dedicated to the development of small molecules to combat cancer. The Sathgen team consists of chemists, cell biologists, computer modeling experts, and informaticians who diligently synthesized and tested over 10,000 derivatives, eventually identifying a compound with exceptional anti-cancer activity and no toxicity. Sathgen is relentless in the pursuit of finding novel solutions in the fight against cancer through collaboration, innovation, and dedication. Today, Sathgen Therapeutics, a division of Godavari Biorefineries, is conducting Phase 1 trials of this compound among cancer patients. Sathgen’s goal is to swiftly bring this remarkable molecule to the forefront of cancer treatment for the benefit of patients worldwide.