New study on mice published in Nanomedicine shows that Sigrid's medical device product SiPore15 prevents weight gain

Stockholm, January 14, 2019: Sigrid Therapeutics today announced the publication of a large study in mice in the peer-reviewed journal Nanomedicine. The study demonstrates enzyme-blocking effects of mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) administered into the intestine with effects on food efficiency and metabolic risk factors as a result. Sigrid has previously conducted clinical studies in humans that showed that SiPore15 significantly lowers long-term blood sugar measured as HbA1c.

To date, there are no effective treatments for obesity that prevent weight gain or promote weight loss without problematic side effects. Many current treatments involve medications that can negatively affect the body in several ways.

“We have designed an innovative, alternative approach. Mesoporous silica particles are a type of manufactured particles that can be swallowed and that can be manufactured with different pore sizes,” says Tore Bengtsson, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, who has led the work of the research group.

The researchers' hypothesis was that particles with specific pore sizes could be used as "molecular traps" in the intestine, capturing and blocking digestive enzymes that break down food, with the effect of reducing energy absorption.

In the study, published in Nanomedicine, mice were fed a high-fat, high-calorie diet to stimulate rapid weight gain, while others were fed the same diet mixed with specially engineered silica particles. The results showed that energy intake, measured as food efficiency, was reduced by 33 percent in the mice that also received the special silica particles, leading to significantly reduced weight gain, lower levels of adipose tissue, and lower levels of circulating insulin.

“The results of this study suggest that tailored mesoporous silica particles could be used to treat obesity in humans, especially given the excellent safety profile of these silica particles,” comments Professor Bengtsson.

"These results are very exciting and open up the possibility that SiPore15 can be used for weight loss and weight management alongside blood sugar regulation, thus a new weapon in the fight against diabetes and obesity," added Sana Alajmovic, CEO, Sigrid Therapeutics.

The publication in Nanomedicine: "Mesoporous Silica with Precisely Controlled Pores Reduces Food Efficiency and Suppresses Weight Gain in Mice". https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/nnm-2019-0262

Detailed information about the 24-week STAR clinical study for blood sugar lowering, which included 43 patients at two research clinics, one in Sweden and the other in Finland, can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03823027 and https://www.sigridthx.com .