A small-molecule oral agonist of the human glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor

Griffith, D. A.; Edmonds, D. J.; Fortin, J.-P.; Kalgutkar, A. S.; Kuzmiski, J. B.; Loria, P. M.; Saxena, A. R.; Bagley, S. W.; Buckeridge, C.; Curto, J. M.; Derksen, D. R.; Dias, J. M.; Griffor, M. C.; Han, S.; Jackson, V. M.; Lettiere, D. J.; Limberakis, C.; Liu, Y.; Mathiowetz, A. M.; Piotrowski, D. W.; Price, D. A.; Ruggeri, R. B.; Tess, D. A.

doi:10.1101/2020.09.29.319483

Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.09.29.319483

A small-molecule oral agonist of the human glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Peptide agonists of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) have revolutionized diabetes therapy, but their use has been limited by the requirement for injection. Here we describe the first effective, orally bioavailable small molecule GLP-1R agonists. A sensitized high-throughput screen identified a series of small molecule GLP-1R agonists that were optimized to promote endogenous GLP-1R signaling with nM potency. These small molecule agonists increased insulin levels in primates but not rodents, which is explained by a cryo-EM structure that revealed a binding pocket requiring primate-specific tryptophan 33. Importantly, oral administration of agonist PF-06882961 to healthy humans produced dose-dependent declines in serum glucose (NCT03309241). This opens the door to a new era of oral small molecule therapies that target the well-validated GLP-1R pathway for metabolic health. One Sentence SummaryPF-06882961 is an orally administered small molecule that activates the GLP-1 receptor to lower blood glucose in humans.

Source connections

Published article ↗

Explore related subjects

pharmacology and toxicology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Griffith, D. A., Edmonds, D. J., Fortin, J.-P., Kalgutkar, A. S., Kuzmiski, J. B., Loria, P. M., Saxena, A. R., Bagley, S. W., Buckeridge, C., Curto, J. M., Derksen, D. R., Dias, J. M., Griffor, M. C., Han, S., Jackson, V. M., Lettiere, D. J., Limberakis, C., Liu, Y., Mathiowetz, A. M., Piotrowski, D. W., Price, D. A., Ruggeri, R. B., Tess, D. A.. 2020-09-30. A small-molecule oral agonist of the human glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.29.319483

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Lipid-ASO therapeutics exhibit differential tissue targeted delivery upon systemic or local CNS administration

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are a powerful therapeutic modality, but their full potential is hindered by pharmacokinetic properties that affect tissue and cellular delivery. Lipid conjugation is increasingly used to modulate ASO's biodistribution and promote extrahepatic activity, yet lipid dependent effects on in vivo functional delivery, particularly in the central nervous system (CNS), remain less explored. Here, we performed a side by side in vivo comparison of cholesterol, palmitic acid (C16:0), docosanoic acid (C22:0), and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5) conjugated to a fully phosphorothioated 3 10 3 LNA gapmer ASO targeting the Malat1 long non coding RNA. Lipid-ASO conjugates were administered systemically or locally in the brain of mice and evaluated for tissue level and cellular level distribution by imaging, qPCR and single-cell RNA sequencing, simultaneously annotating cell origin and global transcriptional changes within the cell. Following systemic administration in mice, lipid conjugation improved overall multi organ efficacy compared to unconjugated ASO, but with pronounced tissue specific differences. Single cell sequencing of liver and heart transcriptomes revealed lipid dependent cellular uptake patterns and transcriptional responses distinct from administration of unconjugated ASO. After intracerebroventricular administration, selected fatty acid conjugates enhanced silencing in deep brain regions such as the striatum, whereas cholesterol conjugation impaired functional delivery despite increased CNS retention. Light-sheet microscopy showed restricted parenchymal penetration of cholesterol ASOs compared with broader but heterogeneous distribution of palmitic acid conjugate. Together, these findings demonstrate that lipid identity critically determines ASO efficacy, productive cellular uptake, and regional CNS engagement, emphasizing the need for context specific lipid design in ASO therapeutic development.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2026

Novel Dissymmetric Ionizable Lipid-Assembled Lipid Nanoparticles for Delivery of Ferroptosis-Related siRNA in Diabetic Treatment

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) enables precise post-transcriptional gene silencing for refractory diseases, yet its clinical translation remains limited by the lack of safe and efficient delivery vectors. Inspired by the dissymmetric alkyl chain architecture of natural membrane phospholipids, we designed and synthesized 34 novel ionizable lipids with dissymmetric hydrophobic tails and formulated them into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Through systematic physicochemical and biological assessments, we established clear structure-activity relationships and identified two lead LNPs (O14-LNP, H18a-LNP) with superior endosomal escape capacity, enhanced in vivo gene silencing potency, and favorable biosafety relative to the clinical benchmark MC3-LNP. In both streptozotocin-induced and spontaneous db/db type 2 diabetes (T2D) mouse models, lead LNPs delivering ferroptosis-related siRNAs effectively ameliorated glucose and lipid metabolic disorders, restored islet function, and alleviated hepatic steatosis. This study not only lays a theoretical foundation for the rational design of novel ionizable lipids, but also validates the therapeutic potential of siRNA therapy targeting ferroptosis, providing a versatile delivery platform and targeted therapeutic strategy for the treatment of T2D.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2021

AUG-3387, a Human-Derived Monoclonal Antibody Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Reduces Viral Load from Therapeutic Treatment of Hamsters In Vivo

Infections from the SARS-CoV-2 virus have killed over 4.6 million people since it began spreading through human populations in late 2019. In order to develop a therapeutic or prophylactic antibody to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic, a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was isolated from a convalescent patient following recovery from COVID-19 disease. This mAb, designated AUG-3387, demonstrates a high affinity for the spike protein of the original viral strains and all variants tested to date. In vitro pseudovirus neutralization and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization activity has been demonstrated in vitro. In addition, a dry powder formulation has been prepared using a Thin-Film Freezing (TFF) process that exhibited a fine particle fraction (FPF) of 50.95 {+/-} 7.69% and a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 3.74 {+/-} 0.73 {micro}m and 2.73 {+/-} 0.20, respectively. The dry powder is suitable for delivery directly to the lungs of infected patients using a dry powder inhaler device. Importantly, AUG-3387, administered as a liquid by intraperitoneal injection or the dry powder formulation delivered intratracheally into Syrian hamsters 24 hours after intranasal SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in the lung viral load of the virus. These data suggest that AUG-3387 formulated as a dry powder demonstrates potential to treat COVID-19.

pharmacology and toxicology↗