Dart Therapeutics has changed its name to Akashi Therapeutics to reflect its progress in developing a pipeline of product candidates to improve the lives of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

The new company name is derived from the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge in Japan, which has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world. The name symbolizes how Akashi Therapeutics was created to save children’s lives by rapidly bridging the gap between promising science and effective treatments for Duchenne. Akashi Therapeutics combines the operations of Dart and its subsidiary Halo Therapeutics into a single entity.

“The Akashi bridge in Japan was built after a ferryboat accident caused many children to tragically die,” said Dr. Benjamin Seckler, a company co-founder. “Like the engineers who built its namesake bridge, our company is pushing the envelope of what is possible to turn tragedy into opportunity. By focusing multiple drugs in our pipeline on the same indication, we are able to progress faster and more efficiently toward new therapeutics to save this generation of children with Duchenne.”

The company’s two most advanced product candidates are HT-100, an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic, and DT-200, a muscle builder.