Viking Therapeutics Inc (VKTX)

[hugh_jackoman]

In 2010 Ligand Pharmaceuticals acquired Metabasis Therapeautics. Metabasis has been working on D-GAT 1 inhibitors for obesity for long time.

Viking licensed D-GAT 1 inhibitors. Metabasis received a patent recently related to D-GAT 1 inhibitors.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,962,618&OS=8,962,618&RS=8,962,618

Recently Metabasis Therapeautics filed a patent APP related to D-GAT 1

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=15%2F151740&OS=15/151740&RS=15/151740


Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase-1 (DGAT-1) Inhibitor Program
Viking is developing small molecule inhibitors of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1 (DGAT-1) inhibitors for the potential treatment of obesity and dyslipidemia. Approximately 36% of U.S. adults are considered obese (CDC). DGAT-1 catalyzes the final and only committed step of triglyceride synthesis, which is essential for the formation of adipose tissue (Cases et al., 1998). Interestingly, DGAT-1 knockout mice (which do not have a functional DGAT-1 protein) are viable and still synthesize triglycerides, however the mice are lean and resistant to diet-induced obesity (Smith et al., 2000). Viking is working on compounds that selectively target the enterocyte, or intestinal absorptive cell, in the intestine, to inhibit triglyceride uptake, or in the liver, to inhibit de novo triglyceride synthesis. The company is continuing to conduct preclinical studies and will file an IND to begin clinical testing of a lead compound at a future date.