Research breakthrough shows promise for new therapeutics to help reduce sugar and fat and maintain good health as we age

Activators of 'anti-aging' enzyme currently in development by NIMIUM Therapeutics

MONTREAL, Jan. 11, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - New research published in Nature Communications suggests that a newly-identified enzyme could reduce sugar and fat in the body and help us live longer healthier lives. The enzyme, Glycerol-3-Phosphate Phosphatase (G3PP), has been found to play a vital role in controlling glucose and fat, and may protect organs from toxic effects of high glucose levels which contribute to obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.

"The goal is to develop therapies to enhance G3PP function in humans to reduce the toxic effects of sugar and address the cause of aging-related diseases associated with excessive sugar and fat intake," says Dr. Marc Prentki, Principal Scientist at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre and Director of the Montreal Diabetes Research Center, who leads the research with Dr. S.R. Murthy Madiraju.

Activators of G3PP as drugs to treat cardiometabolic diseases and promote healthy aging are being developed by Montreal biotech, NIMIUM Therapeutics, led by CEO Dr. Philippe Walker. Prentki serves as CSO.

Scientists used the C. elegans worm model, common in research on aging, to demonstrate that increasing G3PP activity prolongs lifespan and significantly improves healthspan of the animals. Elevated G3PP activity reduced fat storage and protected against excess glucose and oxidative stress damaging effects. G3PP works by turning excess glucose into glycerol, which can be easily eliminated by the body. G3PP was also shown to protect insulin-secreting beta cells, which lose viability when too much glucose is present.

This research was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The team consisted of Elite Possik, first author of the article, Clémence Schmitt, Anfal Al-Mass, Ying Bai, Laurence Côté, Johanne Morin, Heidi Erb, Abel Oppong, Wahab Kahloan, J. Alex Parker, S.R. Murthy Madiraju, and Marc Prentki.

About NIMIUM Therapeutics

NIMIUM Therapeutics is a Montreal biotech focused on the development of an innovative therapeutic to treat cardiometabolic diseases. The research is based on G3PP, an enzyme found to play a central role in glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism.  NIMIUM has partnerships with adMare BioInnovations, a Canadian organization that offers expertise, infrastructure, and capital to help build life-sciences companies. NIMIUM has received funding from Investissement Quebec. www.nimium.ca

SOURCE NIMIUM Therapeutics

Philippe Walker, [email protected]; Marc Prentki, [email protected]