Company Overview

Constellation Pharmaceuticals is the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of Epigenetics, a new field of biology that involves chemical modifications of DNA and its packaging proteins, which collectively are called the ‘epigenome.’

As the genome captured the interest and imagination of the scientific community to identify new, breakthrough therapeutics, the epigenome provides an entirely new class of targets for the development of a novel class of therapeutics with the potential to dramatically improve the way diseases are treated.

The genome, or DNA, is the “blueprint” for the human body, consisting of thousands of genes, which are the fundamental units of information necessary for normal cell growth and development. In contrast, the epigenome plays a critical role in regulating the expression of genes, that is, switching genes on or off – or in the case of disease, for switching genes on or off incorrectly.

Because mis-regulation of gene expression can occur without mutations in the underlying DNA sequence of the gene expressed, the epigenome is just as critical and fundamental as DNA for the development of organisms, as well as disease. This new field of Epigenetic science provides the opportunity to create a broad new class of human therapeutics targeting selective regulators of epigenetic function.

As an example, in the case of oncology, tumor suppressor genes are designed to ensure abnormal cells die through apoptosis. If the tumor suppressor gene is not expressed – due to incorrect epigenetic regulation -- this process cannot occur and the abnormal cells continue to develop and metastasize. This is one example of how Epigenetics represents a fertile field for research and provides significant opportunities for discovering improved treatments in many diseases.

Constellation’s scientific founders represent the core thought leaders in the field of Epigenetics, responsible for key advances, insights and discoveries in the burgeoning field. Their deep scientific insights will drive the Company’s success and mission of developing a deep pipeline of drug products to treat a wide array of important diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

Constellation is pursuing key elements of its strategy to achieve leadership in Epigenetics. The Company is building a technology platform to expeditiously and simultaneously explore multiple targets in multiple therapeutic areas. Constellation will leverage this platform to build a deep and diversified product pipeline of small molecules designed to modulate the epigenetic changes responsible for disease.

About our name

The definition of ‘constellation’ is: “any brilliant, outstanding group or assemblage.” We chose this name to highlight the stellar alignment of scientific and business talent that is represented within Constellation Pharmaceuticals, an unprecedented gathering of the core thought leaders in the field of Epigenetics.