We recently sat down with the five biotech companies accepted into the Spring 2026 Drive cohort to learn more about their science, their “ah-ha” moments, and how Drive is changing the trajectory of their business. Today it’s Tinker Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company engineering next-generation RNA medicines for complex neurological and retinal disorders. We spoke with co-founders Claes Wahlestedt, PhD, MD (CEO), Jack Stahl, PhD (CSO), and Arthur Polk (CFO).
What problem are you obsessed with solving—and why does it matter right now?
Neurological disorders are polygenic, meaning multiple genes drive disease simultaneously, yet current medicines still largely address one target at a time. The chemistry to change that now exists, and we are building the platform to do it.
What’s a recent moment that made you think, ‘this could really work’?
When we tested our novel multi-targeting oligonucleotides against the two most validated drivers of Alzheimer’s disease, the data came back better than anything we had benchmarked against. Our lead therapeutic achieved dual target knockdown at single-digit picomolar potency with a cleaner safety profile than either component alone, and that’s when we realized the same architecture could be applied to virtually any polygenic neurological disorder.
Since joining Drive, what’s one shift in your thinking, strategy, or network that’s had a real impact on your company?
The program reinforced that as a platform company, we need to concentrate resources on advancing one lead program to a meaningful clinical milestone before the broader platform story becomes compelling to investors and partners. Equally valuable has been hearing directly from experienced founders who have navigated the same challenges we face now.