There are some conditions that keep coming up when we talk about long-term health issues, and many of them are linked to the heart. This includes cardiometabolic diseases, which impact our energy reserves right down to the cellular level. Researchers in this field have been taking a particular interest in an enzyme known as AMPK, and now one company may be on the verge of a new AMPK-activating therapy (https://longevity.technology/news/amplifier-doses-first-patients-in-trial-and-closes-new-financing/).
AMPK is a much-easier-to-remember acronym for 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, an enzyme that becomes active when it detects our energy levels are low, such as after exercise or when we’re fasting. The AMPK then encourages glucose and fatty acids to restock our energy so our cells can continue to perform all their vital functions, including growth, repair and a whole host of other biological processes that are essential to life.
We all know that the body doesn’t work as well when it’s aging. Cardiovascular problems are a big worry, and the risk of diabetes increases. Not only are we more likely to develop health issues, but it can be harder to fix them once they arrive. Part of the reason for all this is the decreasing effectiveness of AMPK. We’re just not as good at activating it when needed anymore.
Enter Amplifier Therapeutics, part of Cambrian Bio. It’s been investigating ATX-304, which may be able to activate AMPK for us. If you’re wondering whether the research has experienced any success, it’s about to enter a Phase 1B clinical trial. This means it’s going to be used in actual human patients for the first time.
This trial, which will be conducted in the European Union, will mostly be focused on safety, in addition to pharmacokinetics. Measurements will be taken, testing ATX-304’s impact on muscle and metabolic parameters. The patients will all be overweight, obese or experiencing prediabetes, all of which are high-risk factors in cardiometabolic conditions. Because it’s randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, this study will be following some of the highest possible research standards and should therefore produce some high-quality evidence.
Researchers believe this could be a major moment in the development of treatments for cardiometabolic and age-related conditions, and it seems that investors agree. Amplifier’s success has been accompanied by major new funding that will hopefully help it pursue its research more effectively.
