A biotech startup is looking to address age – related diseases by leveraging research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The startup is based on the preclinical findings that blocking a hormone produced by fat cells can protect mice from a variety of metabolic and inflammatory disorders, including obesity, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. The research focuses on a fatty – acid – binding protein called FABP4, which is mainly produced by fat cells. When secreted, it forms a hormone complex in the blood, and elevated levels of this complex can send incorrect signals to organs, leading to various diseases. The Hotamisligil lab at Harvard Chan School has been studying this protein for over 20 years. They found that genetically engineered mice unable to produce FABP4 were less likely to develop metabolic diseases, and an antibody that blocks the hormone complex proved effective in treating mice. These findings have led the researchers to believe that antibodies to the hormone complex could be a powerful therapeutic for preventing or treating various metabolic and age – related diseases.
The biotech startup, En Lila, has been launched by a private equity firm and has committed nearly $39 million over 10 years to support the Hotamisligil lab’s research. The lab will identify more antibodies that disrupt the hormone complex, and En Lila will take the most promising ones for further development.
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