Can a next-gen take on a deadly weight loss pill conquer cardiometabolic diseases? A Medicxi-backed startup thinks so
Most drug developers might remember DNP, the yellowish compound that’s been used over the years as a herbicide and chemical intermediate, as a deadly diet pill. But Shaharyar Khan and Allen Cunningham wondered about the effect that it has shown, first in a 1930s study, in burning excess calories.
The duo, who have worked together for close to 20 years at a biotech focused on mitochondria-based therapies, found the biology familiar. In cells — whether you’re a yeast or a human being — a mitochondria takes substrates, fats and sugars and generates energy. Slow that down, the theory goes, and the body burns more calories to get its energy then returns to a state of energy balance.
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