Company Description
Unity Biotechnology, Inc. (traded under the historical Nasdaq symbol UBX and now quoted over-the-counter as UNBX) is a biotechnology company that has focused on developing therapeutics to slow, halt, or reverse diseases of aging. According to multiple company disclosures, UNITY describes its work as creating medicines that selectively eliminate or modulate senescent cells with the goal of providing transformative benefit in age‑related ophthalmologic and neurologic diseases.
The company has concentrated its research and development on the biology of cellular senescence and its role in age‑related disease. UNITY reports that it has built a broad intellectual property portfolio around senescence and other age‑related biology, covering multiple indications including ophthalmology, neurological diseases, pulmonary diseases, kidney‑related diseases, and cardiac and vascular diseases. This focus places UNITY within the biotechnology segment of the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, with an emphasis on research and development in aging biology.
Therapeutic focus and key programs
UNITY identifies UBX1325 as its lead investigational compound in retinal disease. UBX1325 is described by the company as a potent small molecule inhibitor of BCL‑xL, a member of the BCL‑2 family of apoptosis‑regulating proteins. UNITY states that UBX1325 is designed to inhibit proteins that senescent cells rely on for survival, with the aim of selectively eliminating senescent cells from diseased tissue while sparing healthy cells. The company has evaluated UBX1325 in diabetic macular edema (DME) through its Phase 2 BEHOLD and Phase 2b ASPIRE clinical studies, reporting statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in vision in BEHOLD and non‑inferior visual acuity gains compared to aflibercept at most time points in ASPIRE.
In its portfolio overview, UNITY also describes preclinical ophthalmology and vascular programs. These include UBB 2048, a Tie2/anti‑VEGF bispecific molecule with preclinical data indicating Tie2 pathway activation and VEGF pathway inhibition in models of retinal disease, and UBX2050, a Tie2 agonistic antibody with preclinical data suggesting a therapeutic rationale in diseases of vascular permeability such as chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, and vascular dementia. UNITY further references an alpha‑Klotho biologic licensed globally to Jocasta Neuroscience, Inc. for neurological indications, with potential milestone and royalty economics, as well as a senescence and aging biology intellectual property estate spanning multiple organ systems.
Clinical development in diabetic macular edema
UNITY’s disclosures emphasize its work in diabetic macular edema, an ophthalmic complication of diabetes characterized by retinal swelling and vision loss. The company’s BEHOLD Phase 2 study is described as a multi‑center, randomized, double‑masked, sham‑controlled trial evaluating a single 10 microgram dose of UBX1325 in patients with DME who had persistent visual deficits and residual retinal fluid despite at least six months of anti‑VEGF treatment. UNITY reports that BEHOLD showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in mean best‑corrected visual acuity (BCVA) through 48 weeks compared to sham treatment.
The ASPIRE Phase 2b study is described as a multi‑center, randomized, double‑masked, active‑controlled trial comparing intravitreal UBX1325 to aflibercept in previously treated DME patients who were not achieving optimal benefit from standard of care. UNITY reports that UBX1325 achieved non‑inferior visual gains in BCVA compared to aflibercept at most time points through 36 weeks, with a favorable safety and tolerability profile and no cases of intraocular inflammation, retinal artery occlusion, endophthalmitis, or vasculitis across multiple studies. The company highlights a pre‑specified subgroup of patients with central subfield thickness below 400 microns in which UBX1325 generally outperformed aflibercept in terms of vision gains.
Business status, listing changes, and planned dissolution
Regulatory filings show that UNITY’s business status has changed significantly. In a June 27, 2025 Form 8‑K, the company reported that The Nasdaq Stock Market’s Listing Qualifications Department determined UNITY no longer had an operating business and viewed it as a public shell, citing a substantial reduction in force, limited operations, lack of revenue, and minimal continued investment in developing a revenue‑producing asset. The same filing states that UNITY’s Board approved a Plan of Dissolution under Delaware law, determined that dissolution was in the best interests of the company and its stockholders, and authorized seeking stockholder approval for the dissolution at a special meeting.
Subsequent filings detail the steps associated with this transition. A July 22, 2025 Form 8‑K describes the issuance of a single share of Series A Preferred Stock designed solely to vote on the dissolution proposal in proportion to the common stock vote. A definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A dated August 11, 2025 calls a special meeting of stockholders for September 18, 2025 to vote on approval of the liquidation and dissolution of the company and the Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution. The proxy statement notes that, based on information available at the time, UNITY expected there would not be any amounts available for distribution to stockholders in the dissolution, although the ultimate outcome depends on claims, obligations, and winding‑up costs.
UNITY’s trading status has also changed. A Form 8‑K dated July 22, 2025 notes that on July 9, 2025 the company’s common stock was suspended from trading on Nasdaq and began being quoted on the OTC Pink Marketplace under the symbol UNBX. A Form 25 filed on August 6, 2025 by Nasdaq formally notifies the removal of Unity Biotechnology, Inc. common stock from listing and registration under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
Headquarters and corporate evolution
SEC filings reflect changes in UNITY’s principal executive offices over time. Earlier filings list an address in South San Francisco, California, while more recent reports and the definitive proxy statement identify principal executive offices in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The June 27, 2025 Form 8‑K also describes the resignation of UNITY’s prior directors and senior executives in connection with the planned dissolution and the appointment of a single director and officer with experience in winding down distressed businesses.
While UNITY historically presented itself as a biotechnology company developing senolytic and senescence‑modulating therapeutics for diseases of aging, its more recent SEC filings emphasize wind‑down activities, efforts to monetize remaining assets and technologies, and the legal and financial steps associated with liquidation and dissolution. Investors researching UBX or UNBX today are therefore primarily examining a company in the process of dissolving rather than an actively growing operating biotechnology issuer.
Research and intellectual property focus
Across its public communications, UNITY consistently highlights its emphasis on senescence biology and age‑related disease mechanisms. The company describes its goal as developing a new class of therapeutics that target senescent cells to remodel diseased tissues and potentially deliver durable, disease‑modifying benefits. Its patent portfolio is characterized as broad and foundational in senescence and aging biology across multiple organ systems and indications, with specific applications in ophthalmologic and neurologic diseases and additional potential relevance to pulmonary, kidney, cardiac, and vascular conditions.
UNITY also notes a global license agreement for its alpha‑Klotho biologic with Jocasta Neuroscience, Inc. for neurological indications, with the potential for development and approval milestones and sales‑based royalties. This arrangement illustrates how UNITY has sought to realize value from its aging‑related intellectual property beyond its internal ophthalmology pipeline.
UBX stock as a historical symbol
Because UNITY’s common stock has been suspended from Nasdaq trading, delisted via Form 25, and re‑quoted on the OTC Pink Marketplace under a different symbol, the UBX ticker now serves primarily as a historical reference to the company’s prior Nasdaq listing. Current and prospective investors reviewing UBX should consider the company’s own disclosures that it has been identified by Nasdaq staff as a public shell, that its Board has approved a Plan of Dissolution, and that the definitive proxy statement for the dissolution indicates an expectation that no distributions may be available to stockholders, subject to the resolution of claims and obligations.