EraCal and Nestle collaborate on fighting obesity

To fight Obesity, EraCal has been developing a novel anti-obesity drug candidate, Era-379, based on its phenotypic drug discovery technology platform. Era-379 is an oral-active appetite suppressor with a novel mode of action. Traditional reductionist research strategies (cell lines, organoids, etc.) cannot capture whole-organism, multifactorial dynamics associated with metabolic diseases. EraCal‘s custom-built platform overcomes these challenges by combining state-of-the-art microscopy, with the power of large-scale phenotypic drug discovery.

The peer-reviewed platform demonstrates translational success with diverse pharmaceutical modalities and therefore holds the promise to unlock new biology. The platform has identified novel mechanisms of action and is therefore, a prime choice to discover first-in-class compounds.

EraCal will combine its drug discovery platform with Nestle’s unique nutraceutical resources to identify a new anti-obesity treatment. The collaboration with Nestle Health Science provides a new paradigm for first-line nutraceuticals for people suffering from metabolic diseases.

“Nestlé Health Science knows how to develop nutraceutical compounds as first-line treatment for people in need, thanks to their distinguished commitment to cutting-edge science and clinical validation,” said Josua Jordi, CEO of EraCal. “We are therefore excited to join forces with the world-leading company in the nutritional space and together drive innovation in the metabolic syndrome arena”.

“Metabolic health is an area that we are extremely interested in, specifically how innovative nutritional solutions can help improve the health of patients and consumers,” said Hans-Juergen Woerle, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of Nestlé Health Science. “Partnering with EraCal on their unique platform, we aim to identify new solutions for weight management.”

EraCal was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the University of Zurich and Harvard University.

(Press release)