Researchers at the University of Leipzig and ETH Zurich have used single-cell sequencing to identify differences between fat tissue of obese individuals who are metabolically unhealthy, and those who were in good metabolic health. The findings, which were published online Dec. 17, 2024, in Cell Metabolism, identify measurements that can be used to decouple obesity from metabolic disease.
Verge Genomics (Verge Analytics Inc.) has nominated a second development candidate, VRG-201, targeting long-term weight management and metabolic homeostasis. VRG-201 is an oral, first-in-class small-molecule therapy that targets the underlying metabolic pathways leading to abnormal weight gain and the development or worsening of obesity.
Kriya Therapeutics Inc. and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have published preclinical data for KRIYA-497, a one-time intramuscular gene therapy being developed for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Peptidream Inc. has released promising results from preclinical testing of its oral myostatin inhibitors, administered in combination with semaglutide, in a mouse model of obesity.
Investigators at the Helmholtz Institute have shown that inceptor, an inhibitor of the insulin signaling pathway, acted by binding insulin and targeting it for degradation. “Insulin was discovered 100 years ago, and the insulin receptor was discovered 50 years ago,” Heiko Lickert told BioWorld. “Now we have a new insulin receptor, which degrades insulin.” Lickert is the senior author of the paper reporting the new insights into how inceptor works, which were published online in Nature Metabolism.
Work at the Institute of Materia Medica of Beijing has led to the discovery and preclinical characterization of novel fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) inhibitors as potential therapeutic candidates for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers from E-Therapeutics plc presented preclinical data for ETX-312, a GalNAc-conjugated short interfering RNA (siRNA), produced using the Galomic platform and being developed for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).