The unsolved frontier: making the undruggable druggable | Eswar Iyer, Aikium

In this episode of the Nucleate Podcast, Aikium co-founder and CEO Eswar Iyer joins host Anastasia Janas to explore how drug discovery can move beyond structured targets to engage the disordered proteome. Aikium is developing SeqRs, programmable, sequence-specific binders that can selectively target intrinsically disordered regions of proteins, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities in cancer, neuroinflammation, and autoimmune diseases. Built using generative AI and screened with a proprietary trillion-scale mRNA display system, Aikium’s platform challenges the traditional assumptions of druggability and expands the therapeutic landscape into areas once considered inaccessible.

Beyond the science, Eswar reflects on the emotional realities of building a company at the frontier of biology, sharing lessons on believing in an idea before the world is ready, navigating failure and doubt, and sustaining conviction when there is no established path forward. If you are interested in the future of therapeutics, the evolution of protein engineering, or the personal journey behind pioneering biotech startups, this conversation offers a rare and honest perspective.