Our story
Two decades with one remarkable molecule
Adjuvia grew out of one remarkable molecule, astaxanthin, and two stories that met: Laura Hix Glickman’s more than 20 years of work with it, and what it did for millions of marine ornamental fish to boost their health, fertility and longevity at a hatchery in Tennessee.
Chapter 1 · The Aquarium
From hatchery to human health
John Carberry and his son Matthew founded a marine ornamental hatchery in 2006. John, a material scientist and prolific inventor, spent his career running industrial companies where 99%+ of what a factory makes must pass quality control. Matthew, trained in ecology and evolutionary biology, was the fish whisperer. They set out to breed fish where 99 out of 100 eggs that hatched would reach market, without using antibiotics or vaccines. John identified that commercial hatchery diets were missing astaxanthin. After trying commercially available sources without success, John adapted ceramics industry equipment to make an astaxanthin nanoparticle from microalgae. Young fish grew faster, broodstock laid more eggs and bred for years longer, and the hatchery never needed antibiotics. A clownfish pair that had stopped breeding started again, and was still breeding 24+ years later. Orby the batfish reached 28+ yrs, where fish typically live only 10-12 yrs.
99%
Goal: eggs raised into healthy fish
0
Antibiotics or vaccines used
20+
Years breeding marine fish
John Carberry
Co-founder, Sustainable Aquatics
Fish that kept breeding, and living long past their time — thanks to astaxanthin
Beyond the hatchery
In 2016 John, Matthew and Tim Wilson founded Sustainable Nutrition to bring the nanoparticle to commercial aquaculture. Between 2017 and 2019 they tested it with salmon, shrimp and cod farmers, with results as striking as the hatchery’s.
From fish to people
Results that strong raised a bigger question: what could astaxanthin do for people? Sustainable Nutrition formulated their product into a supplement and began distributing it to friends and family. Encouraging anecdotal reports followed across a range of conditions. In March 2023 the IP was spun out to Adjuvia, with Dr. Laura Hix Glickman as co-founder and CEO, to develop it into medicines.
2006
Sustainable Aquatics founded in Tennessee
300+
Varieties of fish, salamanders, dogs, humans tested with no safety issues
2019
Extraction method patent issued
2023
Adjuvia spun out for human medicine
Laura Hix Glickman, PhD
Co-Founder and CEO
Chapter 2 · The scientist
More than 20 years with astaxanthin
Laura first worked with astaxanthin more than 20 years ago at Hawaii Biotech, which spun out Cardax Pharmaceuticals (now Ax3.life), where she co-invented a synthetic form of the molecule (CDX-085, Cardax Pharmaceuticals, NASDAQ: CDXI) as a potential therapy for cardiac disease and cancer. Over the next two decades she built a career developing vaccines and immunotherapies, including co-inventing the first STING agonist tested in humans at Aduro Biotech, resulting in a $750M co-development deal with Novartis (Aduro Biotech, NASDAQ: ADRO); then she co-founded Actym Therapeutics to develop systemic delivery of STING and IL-15 therapeutics for advanced metastatic cancer.
When her co-founders approached her to be co-founder and CEO due to her drug development experience and knowledge of astaxanthin, she also learned why her synthetic version failed: In addition to its disappointing bioavailability, it contained a mixture of molecular configurations, and only a fraction was in the form that could insert into the mitochondrial membrane for optimal bioactivity. Astaxanthin extracted from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae has it in full. She co-founded Adjuvia in 2023, and the team went on to discover what makes their astaxanthin unique: A novel molecular configuration that self-assembles into a lipid nanoparticle.
“It’s not just protecting; it’s truly regenerating.”
30+
Years developing therapeutics
24
Issued patents
20+
Scientific publications
Chapter 3 · The company
From aquarium to clinic
2000
The clownfish pair is acquired. It was still breeding 24+ years later.
2002
Laura co-invents a synthetic astaxanthin at Hawaii Biotech
MAR 2019
Method patent issued for extracting astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae.
Mar 2023
Adjuvia Therapeutics founded in San Francisco; issued IP transferred from the parent company
Sep 2023
Preclinical proof of concept confirms best-in-class efficacy and bioavailability
Jul 2024
Positive FDA INTERACT meeting and CDER approval of ICH M3 (R2) IND development plan; accepted into J&J incubator MBC Biolabs
Feb 2026
GLP tox studies in rats and dogs completed with no safety findings and high uptake into all target organs
Jul 2026
$8M seed financing closed, led by JLO Ventures with Portfolia Ventures
Sep 2026
IND cleared by the FDA and IRB approval received
Oct 2026
First patient dosed in the Phase 1 trial on October 27, 2026
