A new generative AI model trained on UK Biobank data can simultaneously forecast the risks and timing of developing over 1,000 different diseases a decade into the future. The developers applied similar algorithmic concepts to those used to develop large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini to build the model, using medical records from 402,799 participants in UK Biobank.
Touchstone Innovations Ltd. has described peptide hormone analogues acting as gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of obesity.
Although the development pipeline for obesity treatments is expanding rapidly, weight loss is often accompanied by a concurrent reduction in lean muscle mass, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches that promote fat loss while preserving muscle. Activin type II receptors (ACTRIIA/B) are regulators of muscle homeostasis, while the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) plays a role in energy balance and adiposity.
At the ongoing European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Vienna, Hanmi Holdings Co. Ltd. presented preclinical efficacy data on HM-15275, a long-acting GLP-1/GIP/glucagon receptor triple agonist developed for the treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic complications.
University of Notre Dame du Lac has disclosed peptide-drug conjugates, their hydrogels and their self-assembling nanofibers comprising glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) and/or gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR) and/or glucagon receptor agonists linked to an amphiphile moiety through a hydrophobic or hydrophilic-comprising linker acting as vaccine adjuvants reported to be useful for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
Cantoni Therapeutics BV has announced the closing of additional financing to advance its lead asset into IND-enabling studies for obesity and its comorbidities. The company is developing small-molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a promising target for cardiometabolic diseases. Cantoni has also won a Novo Nordisk ValidatioNN grant supporting translational research work on the mode of action of NNMT inhibition.
Rona Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has announced an IND filing with the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for RN-3161 for obesity. RN-3161, a novel siRNA developed through Rona’s proprietary GAIA platform, targets INHBE to reduce fat while preserving lean mass.
Shanghai Yidi Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has divulged glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of diabetes.
Rezubio Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has disclosed drug conjugates comprising somatostatin receptor type 5 (SSTR5) antagonists covalently linked to a hydrophilic moiety through a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Among the emerging therapeutic strategies for type 2 diabetes (T2D), G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have demonstrated promise due to their complementary mechanisms of action. GPR119 agonists stimulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion, while DPP-4 inhibitors enhance the duration of incretin hormone activity by preventing their degradation. Together, these mechanisms contribute to improved glycemic control in individuals with T2D.