Combinatorial Therapy for Preserving Muscle Mass During Weight Loss

Application

A combinatorial therapy to preserve muscle mass during semaglutide weight loss treatment.

Key Benefits

• Preserves lean mass during semaglutide treatment in preclinical mouse models.
• Increases overall fat loss without affecting food/water intake during semaglutide treatment in preclinical mouse models.

Market Summary

The prevalence of obesity in adults exceeds 40% in the United States. 1.7% of the US population currently uses incretin therapies (such as semaglutide) for weight loss. Patients can lose 10% or more of their muscle mass during the first treatment year. With rising global obesity prevalence, there are 123+ obesity pipeline therapies underway globally, with 45 assets in development targeting incretin hormone systems like GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. Despite heavy investment and recent progress in obesity management, there is an unmet need to mitigate muscle mass loss during weight loss treatment.

Technical Summary

Researchers at Emory University and Georgia State University (GSU) have developed a combinatorial therapy consisting of a corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) antibody that suppresses hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity during semaglutide-based weight loss treatment, improving weight loss outcomes while preventing lean muscle loss.

Development Stage

This combinatorial therapy has been developed and tested successfully in preclinical models.

Publication

Futch, H. S., McFarland, K. N., Moore, B. D., Kuhn, M. Z., Giasson, B. I., Ladd, T. B., ... & Golde, T. E. (2019). An anti-CRF antibody suppresses the HPA axis and reverses stress-induced phenotypes. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 216(11), 2479-2491.