Insulin Sensitization

Ember is developing the next generation of selective insulin sensitizers that have robust anti-diabetic effects but lack the serious side effects of currently approved insulin sensitizers.

Researchers have long believed that agonism of the nuclear hormone receptor PPARγ is responsible for the anti-diabetic effects of the thiazolidinediones (TZD) class of drugs. However, in two studies published by Ember's founding scientists in the journal Nature, inhibition of CDK5-mediated phosphorylation of PPARγ was shown to be the driver for the anti-diabetic effects whereas TZD-mediated receptor agonism was shown to be responsible for the clinically documented adverse effects of these drugs (including fluid retention, weight gain and loss of bone mineral density).

Ember is developing proprietary small molecules that are fully devoid of classical PPARγ agonism, but block the CDK5 phosphorylation of the receptor, effectively producing the desired anti-diabetic effects without the toxic side effects of current treatments.