Verge Genomics Unveils VRG201, a New Therapy for Long-Term Weight Management

Verge Genomics, a biotechnology company specializing in the integration of artificial intelligence and human genomic data to advance drug discovery, has announced the selection of VRG201 as its latest development candidate. This innovative therapy is designed to address long-term weight management and maintain metabolic balance. As a groundbreaking oral treatment, VRG201 aims to rectify the foundational metabolic issues leading to obesity, thereby enabling patients to achieve sustained weight loss without the necessity for major lifestyle adjustments.

The global obesity epidemic impacts over 650 million adults and poses significant threats to cardiovascular health, diabetes, and liver function. Although current treatments like glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have made strides in curbing caloric intake, their effects often diminish over time, with nearly half of the patients discontinuing use within a year and experiencing rapid weight regain thereafter. VRG201 seeks to fill this treatment gap by targeting the core metabolic pathways that contribute to unhealthy weight gain and exacerbate obesity.

VRG201 operates by selectively inhibiting CD38, an enzyme pivotal in managing cellular levels of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and energy metabolism. By stabilizing NAD+ levels and reducing CD38 overactivity, VRG201 improves metabolic processes, preventing the conversion of excess calories into fat. This novel mechanism positions VRG201 as a potential complement to GLP-1 RAs and offers a fresh approach to metabolic disease treatment.

Dr. Robert H. Scannevin, Chief Scientific Officer at Verge Genomics, highlighted the identification of CD38 through their proprietary CONVERGE® platform, which utilizes human patient multi-omics data. This platform pinpointed CD38 as a crucial element in metabolic dysfunction. VRG201, a small-molecule inhibitor, targets CD38's enzymatic function, differentiating its approach from oncology strategies that employ antibodies to eliminate cancerous cells. Instead, VRG201 aims to restore NAD+ balance and rectify CD38 dysregulation, thereby enhancing energy metabolism and reducing fat accumulation. Such a mechanism presents a pioneering alternative to existing obesity treatments, which largely focus on appetite suppression. Verge Genomics is poised to advance VRG201 into clinical trials, marking a significant step forward in treating metabolic diseases via this novel pathway.

Alice Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Verge Genomics, remarked on the transformative impact of GLP-1 RAs, which have set the stage for new therapeutic advancements. According to Zhang, the focus for patients will shift from merely achieving weight loss to maintaining it and sustaining overall health.

Verge Genomics is committed to developing treatments for complex diseases with significant unmet needs, utilizing human genomics from patient tissues and advanced machine learning techniques. The company's CONVERGE® platform is one of the industry's most extensive and detailed databases of multi-omic patient data. Guided by a team of seasoned computational biologists and drug developers, Verge is making progress in both clinical and preclinical therapeutic programs for various diseases, including ALS and Parkinson's disease.