BioCentury
ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Hormones in harness

Glucagon and T3 bring out the best in each other for metabolic diseases

November 17, 2016 7:14 PM UTC

A compound that brings together the therapeutic benefits of glucagon (GCG) and triiodothyronine (T3) could treat multiple metabolic diseases without courting the off-target toxicities associated with the individual hormones.

In a Cell study published last month, Indiana University and Helmholtz Zentrum München GmbH researchers showed a hybrid compound, dubbed glucagon/T3, expanded the therapeutic index of each hormone in mouse models of metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and NASH, supporting the group’s earlier demonstration that peptides can be used to target nuclear hormones to specific tissues. ...