The management of obesity and its associated comorbidities needs novel approaches for safety and efficacy. Researchers from Pep2tango Therapeutics Inc. are aiming to face this challenge by developing an approach that promotes superior weight loss through the loss of fat mass only, while preserving the muscle lean mass.

Previous research has demonstrated that patients treated with the second-generation antipsychotic olanzapine (OLA) have metabolic dysfunctions and insulin resistance. Researchers from Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas “Alberto Sols” and collaborators investigated the impact of intraperitoneal (i.p.) OLA treatment on peripheral insulin sensitivity as well as potential effects of inhibiting the protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a negative regulator of insulin signaling.

Incretin therapies based on GLP-1 receptor agonism aid in the loss of weight in obesity, but a relevant part of this loss (25%-40%) is attributed to loss of lean muscle mass, which raises the risk of sarcopenia. Keros Therapeutics Inc. has presented data on RKER-065, a novel modified ActRII-Fc ligand trap that inhibits myostatin and activins and promotes muscle formation.