Overview

MC4R regulates adipose tissue formation and energy homeostasis and modulates neural circuits by activating multiple intracellular and/or synaptic signaling molecules. Its association with obesity is well documented. MC4R mutations are found to cause partial or complete loss of function and are largely associated with severe obesity. It is therefore considered a potential single-gene cause of obesity in humans and an important target for the pharmacological treatment of the disease. At Protheragen, we combine advanced technological resources to provide a one-stop service for the development of anti-obesity therapies targeting the MC4R, helping to advance research into novel therapies for obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Driving Research into Innovative Anti-Obesity Therapies Through Customised Services

Our team keeps abreast of research advances and is committed to providing reliable support for the study of Anti-Obesity Therapies and drugs. Technical expertise covers a wide range of areas, including target screening, gene therapy development, and drug development.

Development of Gene Therapy

We provide gene therapy development services targeting MC4R. Effective gene therapy helps prevent the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome, such as weight loss, suppression of food intake, improvement of glucose tolerance, and increase in energy expenditure.

Development of MC4R-Targeting Anti-Obesity Drugs

Specific MC4R agonists have great potential for application in the treatment of common obesity and rare monogenic obesity. We develop all potent and selective agonists for MC4R target activation and evaluate their therapeutic efficacy using animals as models.

• Peptide agonists: MC4R is innately regulated by peptides. Peptide agonists are a promising anti-obesity treatment based on their intrinsic properties such as potency, safety, and utilization. We develop peptide agonist drugs against MC4R targets, including linear peptide agonists and cyclic peptide agonists.
• Non-peptide agonists: Non-peptide compounds may have higher selectivity and potency. In addition to this, they are not subject to proteolytic degradation and are more metabolically stable.
• Development of therapies in combination with other drugs: We use MC4R agonists in combination with other anti-obesity drugs and study the efficacy of combination therapies in combating obesity.

Preclinical Studies of Therapies

We provide a full range of anti-obesity therapeutic development services in combination with a variety of obese animal models, including disease model construction, drug pharmacokinetic study, safety assessment, etc.

• Animal models: Animal models are an effective tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms of obesity and evaluating anti-obesity therapies and small-molecule drugs. We have developed relevant animal models of obesity for use in evaluating the therapeutic effects of various therapies and drugs to help achieve various research goals, including the following:
  • Diet-induced obesity models: Diet-induced animal models of obesity better reflect the pathogenesis of obesity and are an effective tool for anti-obesity drug development and potential therapeutic studies.
  • Gene editing models: We construct Mc4r heterozygous animal models and evaluate the efficacy of MC4R agonists.
  • Other models
• Evaluation of therapies: We specialize in all aspects of preclinical studies of drugs and provide pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, bioanalysis, and safety assessment services. With a team of experienced researchers, we help accelerate the development and evaluation of anti-obesity drugs and therapies.

  Pharmacodynamics Study	Food/Water Intake Assessment Quantitative Analysis of Body Fat Distribution Energy Expenditure Monitoring Measurement of Ectopic Fat Accumulation Molecular Biomarker Analysis
  Pharmacokinetics Study	DMPK Study of Anti-Obesity Drugs ADME Study of Anti-Obesity Drugs
  Bioanalysis	Biological Analysis of Macromolecular Drugs Bioanalysis of Small Molecule Drugs
  Safety Assessment	Safety Pharmacology Studies Toxicology Studies

Workflow

We have a well-established experimental system for the development and evaluation of anti-obesity therapies and provide a personalized MC4R-targeting anti-obesity therapy development service.

Applications

• Some of the anti-obesity therapy studies targeting MC4R may also apply to studies related to diabetes treatment.
• Studies of anti-obesity therapies targeting the MC4R provide valuable information for the development of effective combination therapies.
• Studies of anti-obesity therapies targeting the MC4R help to find ways to reduce the risk of metabolic complications of obesity.

Advantages

• We have an excellent industry reputation and offer a one-stop targeted MC4R anti-obesity therapy development service.
• The entire experimental protocol is customized to best meet the needs of our clients' anti-obesity therapy research. Meanwhile, we will update the experimental progress in real-time.
• We synthesize various compounds to accelerate the screening and development of anti-obesity drugs targeting MC4R.

Innovative Solutions for Better Service

Protheragen analyzes the causes of excessive weight gain from multiple perspectives, including genetic, environmental, and personal, and provides diagnostic tests and obesity prediction services using advanced genetic, metabolic, and histological technologies. Our goal is to advance the research process of obesity mechanisms and anti-obesity therapies through accurate data and comprehensive analysis. In addition, our cutting-edge services include obesity biomarker analysis, gene editing, and microbiome research to explore the pathogenesis of obesity in-depth and support the development of new therapies and personalized intervention strategies. Of course, if you need professional weight loss and weight management, you also get a great service experience with us.

Publication

Frequently Asked Questions

What drugs have been developed to target MC4R?

• Peptide agonists: Peptides are important natural mediators acting as immunomodulatory molecules, neurotransmitters, hormones, etc., which are usually potent and selective. Considering that the MC4R is naturally regulated by peptides and their safety, potency, predictable metabolism, and bioavailability, peptide agonists constitute an effective anti-obesity treatment.
  • Linear peptide agonists: The linear peptide structure consists of amino acids or amino acid analogs, ranging in size from 4 to 16 residues, which are linked by simple amide bonds.
  • Cyclic peptide agonists: They have a cyclic structure. Most of the cyclic structures developed and studied for MC4R are relatively short (6-8 amino acids) and are cyclized by disulfide bonds. Cyclic peptides have the most interactions with the receptor active site, which implies their higher functionality and activity.
• Non-peptide agonists: Non-peptide agonists contain various substituents in their structure and have higher potency and selectivity for other melanocortin receptors. At the same time, the substance may be more metabolically stable. Several non-peptide agonists targeting the MC4R have been developed.

What conditions should MC4R agonists fulfill?

High-quality MC4R agonists should meet criteria for selectivity, potency, bioavailability, and safety.

• Selectivity: Selectivity is the ability of an agonist to activate a single desired pathway.
• Safety: The agonist must be harmless and not cause any adverse effects in the body.
• Bioavailability: This depends on the ease of assimilation in the body and the degree of solubility of the agonist in body fluids.
• Potency: Its potency is related to its ability to induce the desired response at the lowest possible concentration.

Protheragen provides a customized anti-obesity therapeutic development service targeting MC4R, including MC4R agonist development, gene therapy development, etc. We provide customized protocols tailored to your research needs and provide real-time updates on the progress of your project. Please feel free to contact us to learn more about MC4R-targeting research and tell us about your research goals.

All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.

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