Science - Glyscend

Transformative

oral polymer gastric

bypass approach

At Glyscend, we are developing a safe and affordable alternative to metabolic surgery.

Although metabolic surgery is a highly effective treatment for many metabolic diseases, it is invasive and expensive.

We are advancing a patient-friendly, non-invasive oral therapy that is intended to form a reversible coating in the GI tract that mimics the effects of metabolic surgery.

A Growing Metabolic Disease Challenge

Type 2 Diabetes

An estimated 462 million people (6.3% of the world’s population) are affected by type 2 diabetes (T2D).¹
More than 37 million Americans have diabetes and ~90-95% of them have T2D.
Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2019.²
People with diabetes have an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, eye problems, dental disease, nerve damage, foot problems.³

Overweight & Obesity

More than 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight. Of these, over 650 million are obese.⁴
In the US, nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight and more than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity.⁵
Overweight and obese people have an increased risk for T2D, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, joint problems, liver disease, gallstones, some types of cancer, and sleep and breathing problems, among other conditions.⁵

NAFLD & NASH

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects >1.6 billion people (~25% of the world’s population) and 1 in 5 people with NAFLD develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).⁶
An estimated 24% of US adults have NAFLD and ~1.5% to 6.5% of US adults have NASH.⁷
People with NAFLD/NASH have an increased risk for heart disease, T2D, metabolic syndrome (including high blood pressure and abnormal levels of fats in the blood), and death from liver-related causes.⁷

Surgery as a treatment for metabolic disease

Gastric bypass (bariatric) surgery has been shown to have immediate and profound effects on improving blood glucose while reducing body weight and reducing long-term micro- and macro-vascular complications related to T2D.^8-10 Given its profound effects, metabolic surgery is part of the treatment algorithms for T2D, obesity, and NAFLD/NASH.

While very effective, surgical and endoscopic procedures are not accessible to most patients living with diabetes and/or obesity. Due to their invasiveness, complications, and cost, very few subjects that could benefit from these surgeries and procedures get them.¹¹

Studies show that patients who undergo metabolic surgery early in the progression of their disease have better outcomes than those that wait until it is the last resort.¹²

Glyscend’s polymer drug has the potential to deliver the mechanisms behind

gastric bypass much earlier in the treatment continuum

Our transformative approach: GLY-200

Glyscend’s lead product candidate, GLY-200, is the first and only clinical-stage, potentially disease-modifying, pharmacologic polymer therapy for T2D and obesity. This orally-administered therapy is being developed to modulate the mucosal barrier in the GI tract and achieve the therapeutic benefits of gastric bypass without the need for an invasive procedure.

Our proprietary polymer is designed to interact with the mucus membrane in the duodenum to form a dynamic barrier to prevent interaction between the food and the mucosal surface of the duodenum. Extensive preclinical studies support safety and efficacy of our compounds in relevant animal models of T2D and obesity.

GLY-200 has advanced into the clinic with a completed Phase 1 study and Phase 2 study ongoing in the US.

Follow our clinical trial progress

GLY-200 incorporates into the mucus layer.

A duodenal cross-section showing GLY-200 (green) incorporating into the mucus layer (red) at 2 hours post-dose.

Our MCP platform provides the capability to target the GI tract to treat local and systemic conditions

Click to learn more

References

1. Khan et al. Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes – Global Burden of Disease and Forecasted Trends. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2020 Mar; 10(1): 107–111. Doi: 10.2991/jegh.k.191028.001
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report website. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html. Accessed Feb 2023.
3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Health Information: Diabetes. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes. Accessed Feb 2023.
4. World Health Organization. Obesity and Overweight fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight. Accessed Feb 2023.
5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Overweight & Obesity Statistics. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity. Accessed Feb 2023.
6. Younossi ZM et al. The global epidemiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): a systematic review. Hepatology. 2023 Jan 3. Doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000004.
7. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) & NASH. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nash. Accessed Feb 2023.
8. Cummings DE. Endocrine mechanisms mediating remission of diabetes after gastric bypass surgery. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009;33 Suppl 1:S33-40.
9. Cummings DE et al. Role of the bypassed proximal intestine in the anti-diabetic effects of bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2007;3(2):109-115.
10. Heshmati K et al. Comparison of early type 2 diabetes improvement after gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy: medication cessation at discharge predicts 1-year outcomes. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2019;15(12):2025-2032.
11. Clapp B, Ponce J, DeMaria E, et al. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 2020 estimate of metabolic and bariatric procedures performed in the United States. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2022;18(9):1134-1140.
12. Panunzi et al. Determinants of Diabetes Remission and Glycemic Control After Bariatric Surgery. Diabetes Care. 2016 Jan;39(1):166-74. doi: 10.2337/dc15-0575.