INNOVATION
FGH BioTech has identified small molecule drugs that regulate sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors. In animal models fed a high-fat high-carbohydrate diet, these new drug therapies significantly lower body weight compared to untreated animals while preserving lean body mass. Treated animals demonstrate improved plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and improved insulin sensitivity. FGH technology is being developed for metabolic diseases such as fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
A unifying feature of cancer is unregulated cell growth and proliferation. Molecular pathways that influence cancer growth and proliferation are undergoing intense investigation and include intracellular signaling pathways such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascade. Increasingly, fat metabolism is recognized as a major factor involved in these pathways and a major energy source driving tumor growth. In prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, SREBP-driven fat production is recognized as essential for aggressive growth and metastases. A number of other obesity-related cancers share this need for altered fat metabolism. FGH technology targeting SREBP and related pathways is a novel strategy to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer and other aggressive solid tumors.