Foxo1 inhibition for disease treatment

This technology comprises a collection of small-molecule inhibitors of FOXO1, designed to treat diabetes and related metabolic disorders by modulating beta cell conversion for enhanced insulin production.

Unmet Need: Targeting underlying insulin production deficiency in diabetes.

Current diabetes therapies rely on insulin supplementation without treating the root cause of insulin deficiency. In the gastrointestinal tract, selective deletion or inhibition of the transcription factor FOXO1 has been shown to convert enteroendocrine cells into beta cells, which are glucose-responsive insulin-producing cells. Targeted differentiation of insulin-producing cells can address the lack of natural insulin production that causes diabetes.

The Technology: Foxo1 inhibitors to generate insulin-producing cells

This technology describes a collection of small-molecule compounds that selectively inhibit FOXO1 to treat diabetes with metabolic stability. FOXO1 inhibition has been shown to induce the differentiation of enteroendocrine progenitor cells into insulin-producing beta cells. The generation of new beta cells has the potential to restore the body's natural production of insulin. Furthermore, the large number of FOXO1 inhibitors generated by this technology enables the optimization of drug development for both strong efficacy and safety.

Applications:

  • Therapeutic agents for diabetes treatment
  • Personalized diabetes therapy
  • Treatment of obesity-related metabolic imbalance
  • Drug screening for glucose-related disorders
  • Research tool for studying the regulation of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis
  • Cell regeneration/directed differentiation therapy

Advantages:

  • Restores natural insulin production
  • Targets the root cause of diabetes
  • Potential for oral dosing
  • Many small-molecule drug candidates

Lead Inventor:

Domenico Accili, M.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (US 20230416228)

Related Publications:

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