Lean Genes allow you to eat without gaining weight…Nature did it, ObeTherapy can reproduce it!

Lean Genes allow you to eat without gaining weight...Nature did it, ObeTherapy can reproduce it!

The Company
The company ObeTherapy Biotechnology is a French biotech dedicated to the identification of innovative drugs by targeting new genes of interest for the treatment of obesity, hypercholesterolemia and type II diabetes. ObeTherapy was created in the year 2000 at the Genopole site at Evry, France.
Keywords
Obesity, type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, Hypertriglyceridemia, metabolic diseases, drug discovery and drug design.
Our innovative strategy
ObeTherapy's innovative strategy is the identification of targets associated with a “lean phenotype” in contrary to competitor’s approach, which is based on obesity phenotype. This strategy allows us to identify several enzymatic activities, which are responsible for the absorption of all lipids and proteins and carbohydrates. These target are validated by a rare genetic lean phenotype, the gene of which are  exclusively expressed in the intestine and therefore very specific compared to other obesity targets. To these gene targets (IP) we have identified several hit compounds active in vitro and with very promising preliminary in vivo results.
More recently we have identified another gene target responsible for the absorption of proteins and triglycerides (IP) see below.
A new target (IP):
The energy necessary for the body is deriving from carbohydrates, triglycerides (TG) and proteins. Controlling energy absorption from the GI tract should result in reduce body mass. Therefore, a reduction in the amount of amino acids and triglycerides absorption by inhibiting the digestion of proteins and TG in the intestine should limit fat accumulation as suggested by a very rare human genetic disease caused by a key enzyme involved in energy absorption. This rare genetic disease is characterised by failure to thrive.
These patients are extremely rare (only several cases described in the literature), probably, because they have been eliminated from the population during food-limited human evolution (“expenditure gene”).
Our target meets all criteria for the selection of a good therapeutic target for obesity treatment:
(1) Its enzymatic activity is specific and not redundant.
(2) Its expression is limited to intestine.
(3) Inactivating mutations of its gene are associated with a lean phenotype.
(4) Knock-out transgenic mice show the same phenotype observed in human (collaboration between ObeTherapy and Taconic/Artemis).
Preliminary results for fatty acids and proteins inhibition project
- We have identified several lead compounds active at the nanoMolar range in vitro.
- These molecules are stable in vitro and in GI milieu.
- In vivo acute experiments show inhibition of absorption of both amino acids and triglyceride.
- Chronic treatment shows weight loss up to 25% compare to control
- Pilot PK study shows no systematic absorption of the compound.
- Knock out transgenic mice for the gene target shows a phenotype in pups like in human, namely growth retardation.