New Obesity Drug Targets Brain Support Cells, Avoids GLP-1 Side Effects

Researchers at Syracuse University have developed a potential obesity and diabetes treatment that targets brain support cells—such as glia and astrocytes—rather than neurons, offering weight loss without the nausea common to GLP-1 drugs. Current appetite-control drugs act on hindbrain neurons but cause gastrointestinal side effects that lead most patients to discontinue use within a year.

The team discovered that certain support cells naturally produce octadecaneuropeptide (ODN), a molecule that suppresses appetite. In animal studies, a modified form called tridecaneuropeptide (TDN) achieved significant weight loss and improved insulin response in obese mice and musk shrews—without triggering vomiting. Unlike GLP-1 treatments, TDN bypasses neurons and directly influences downstream support cells, avoiding complex chemical cascades and adverse effects.

CoronationBio, a new company formed to advance this discovery, has licensed the technology and aims to begin human clinical trials by 2026–2027, potentially revolutionizing obesity and metabolic disease treatment.

10-08-2025