30.06.2020EraCal nominated for The Spinoff Prize

EraCal Therapeutics, a spin-off from the University of Zurich and Harvard University, developed a new drug candidate for obesity and is now a finalist for The Spinoff Prize.

Obesity is a major burden for the billions of affected individuals since existing anti-obesity medical therapy is unsatisfactory both in terms of efficacy and safety. Josua Jordi and his team identified dozens of drug compounds that could alter food consumption in zebrafish larvae without affecting spontaneous activity levels. In 2018, EraCal Therapeutics was founded with the aim to bring their appetite-modulating drug candidates to market.

Although EraCal has plans to develop appetite-stimulating drugs for people with chronic weight-loss conditions, the company is currently focusing on a pipeline of appetite suppressants for tackling obesity and its many metabolic complications. Their lead therapeutic candidate, Era-107, reduced the body weight of mice by 14% in just two weeks and even produced none of the side effects that are typical of other therapies. In comparison, other anti-obesity drugs shed less than half as much weight.

EraCal Therapeutics, and their new drug candidate for obesity, are now finalists for The Spinoff Prize. Congratulations!

For more information:

Nature article

The Spinnoff Prize 2020

Innovation Hub