Cytokinetics, Incorporated, is a biopharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco, California, that develops muscle activators and muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for people with diseases characterized by impaired or declining muscle function.
History
Cytokinetics was founded in 1997 by James Spudich, Ronald Vale, James Sabry and Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, four scientists at Stanford, UCSD, and UCSF.[2] Operations began in 1998.
Initially, Cytokinetics focused on the possible pharmacological targets and areas of application of drugs based on cytoskeletal proteins.[2] Eventually, the company narrowed its focus to the mechanics of muscle biology.[2] Cytokinetics develops muscle activators and muscle inhibitors to improve muscle function in patients with cardiovascular and neuromuscular diseases.[3]