Adipo Therapeutics looks to advance to clinical human trials
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Following positive findings from animal and human tissue studies, Adipo Therapeutics LLC is looking to advance its obesity treatment toward first-in-human Phase I clinical trials.
Results from two studies were presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of The Obesity Society in San Antonio, Texas.
Based on commercialized research out of Purdue University, the Indianapolis-based company wants to revitalize treatment for obesity and other metabolic disorders. Adipo Founder Meng Deng, who is also an associate professor in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, launched the company to take his research further.
Adipo says its treatment works by converting energy-storing “bad” white fat into “good” energy-burning brown fat. This conversion increases energy expenditure—essentially increasing calorie burn—and no drug on the market today uses that approach.
Designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the biopharmaceutical company’s active ingredient, ADPO-002, the studies showed that the product was able to increase the production of mitochondria, leading to higher energy expenditure and reducing the need for dietary restrictions.
“While weight loss can be achieved through decreasing calorie intake and/or increasing energy expenditure, the newer therapies on the market are focused primarily on appetite suppression to reduce a person’s daily caloric intake,” Adipo CEO Karen Wurster said in written remarks. “There is a need for new weight-loss products that work by increasing energy expenditure without requiring calorie restriction.”
With the National Institutes of Health projecting that nearly half of American adults will be obese by 2030, obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and gallbladder diseases, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, breathing disorders and mental illness are expected to rise.
Previous research showed that higher mitochondria-levels in brown adipose tissues increased energy expenditure, improved insulin sensitivity and decreased risks for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, making it a useful treatment for obesity.
The company is currently raising $8 million in additional funding to move the product to first-in-human Phase I clinical trials.
Inside INdiana Business Reporter Kylie Veleta contributed to this report.