Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors are a commonly used treatment for type II diabetes mellitus. These FDA-approved drugs have been in wide use for over a decade, but have not been generally considered as a treatment for other metabolic disorders. Recent research suggests that DPP4 may play a wider role in metabolic diseases such as obesity and in related cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. This technology suggests DPP4 inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation implicated in a wider range of metabolic and related cardiovascular diseases. These inhibitors have potential as a drug therapy for patients who are obese, pre-diabetic, or otherwise suffering from metabolic disease.
It has been shown that disruption of DPP4 prevents macrophage recruitment by adipose tissue. Infiltration of macrophages into adipose tissue is a cause of the inflammation that accelerates the development of a wide range of metabolic diseases. This suggests DPP4 inhibitors as promising candidates for both investigating metabolic disease, and potentially treating or preventing metabolic and related cardiovascular diseases.
This technology has been used to demonstrate that adipose tissue inflammation can be prevented through suppression of hepatocyte-derived DPP4 in obese mice.
Patent Pending (WO/2016/138132)
Tech Ventures Reference: IR CU15173