Drug Discovery at Syracuse University hopes to Redefine Obesity, Diabetes Care

Drug Enforcement Tech

Posted by AI on 2025-06-04 17:39:05 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-26 17:01:43

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Recent discoveries from the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University suggest promising advances in peptide compounds that may redefine the way obesity and diabetes are treated. Led by medicinal chemist Robert Doyle, the team has introduced two new peptide compounds over the past 18 months. These have demonstrated clinical potential in reducing body weight and normalizing blood glucose levels without the negative side effects often experienced by GLP-1-based anti-obesity drug patients. patent filings, investor discussions, and animal testing are now being explored to refine these drugs, intended for human use, and evaluate their ability to treat obesity and diabetes. even more recently, these discoveries have shown potential in treating opioid addiction through similar neuroendocrine pathways.

Doyles team consists of collaborators Matthew Hayes and Christian Roth. The compounds GEP44 and KCEM1 are currently being tested in a campus lab at the Center for Science and Technology, equipped as a mini pharmaceutical design and manufacturing center. This facility allows for rapid pivoting based on ongoing test findings and is equipped with sophisticated robotic systems that allow high-throughput peptide synthesis. A $3 million grant awarded in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Defense has helped fund the sophisticated machinery and operating capabilities. With rising obesity and weight-related diabetes rates among military personnel and veterans, the team hopes to provide answers to the $135 billion annually spent on these conditions.

Doyle anticipates a surge in development over the next 20 years due to the rising demand for more effective and tolerable weight-loss medicines. With rising obesity rates and the associated $135 billion price tag, the team is working to combat these trends starting from Syracuse University and Central New York.

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