Metabolic Solutions Development Co.

Insulin Sensitizers

Insulin sensitizers were discovered more than 25 years ago by scientists at Takeda Chemical Company. At the time these compounds were discovered, researchers did not understand or have any insight into their potential mechanism of action. Today, based on research that occurred years after the current successful products were chosen for development, it is generally believed that these compounds are activators of the nuclear receptor PPARγ. The founders of MSDC have recognized that PPARγ activation is the cause of the side effects associated with insulin sensitizers while the useful pharmacology is secondary to the modification of metabolism in the energy-producing cellular organelles called mitochondria.

Insulin sensitizers have positive effects in the treatment of diabetes and can preserve β-cell function.
The promise of the class has not be realized because of separate and distinct problems with troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and pioglitazone, the only three insulin sensitizers to be approved for clinical use.
Therapeutic improvements have been limited by a lack of understanding (perhaps a misunderstanding) of the molecular mechanism of action.
MSDC is developing a new way forward through its novel compounds that are selective for a previously unidentified mitochondrial target and that modulate metabolic signaling, resulting in improved insulin sensitivity and increased production of brown fat, independent of activation of nuclear transcription factors.