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© 2026 Damu Therapeutics.
"Our mission is to reveal new drug binding sites on hemoglobin as a therapeutic target, enabling precise, scalable treatments for blood disorders."
7M+
PEOPLE WORLDWIDE
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Living with sickle cell disease globally.
500K
NEW BIRTHS ANUALLY
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Infants born with SCD every year, many in regions with limited access to diagnosis or treatment.
1
MUTATION DRIVES SICKLE CELL DISEASE
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A single β-globin substitution triggers hemoglobin polymerization
Our Team
Dr. Melanie Cocco, PhD
Founder, DAMU Therapeutics
Dr. Melanie Cocco is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences and a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC Irvine. She is an internationally recognized expert in structural biology and biophysics. She discovered structural and binding abnormalities of the sickle cell drug Voxelotor (aka Oxbryta, now removed from market). As Founder of DAMU Therapeutics, Dr. Cocco leads the development of innovative therapeutic strategies aimed at addressing unmet needs in hematologic disorders through translational science and drug discovery.