New Media Department                Yu Jie, Duan Yuqing                March 15, 2023

Today, Cambrian Bio, which focuses on the development of anti-aging therapies, announced the launch of a new pipeline company, Amplifier Therapeutics. Amplifier is targeting the development of ATX-304, an investigational pan-AMPK (adenylate-activated protein kinase) activator. The activation of AMPK can promote lipid metabolism, so this type of drug has the potential to quickly consume excess lipids in the body without exercising, and achieve the effect of weight loss.

AMPK is an energy detector in the body. It will be activated when the energy level in the cell drops, thereby promoting the entry of sugar in the blood into the cell, and promoting fat metabolism to produce more energy from fatty acids, increasing intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the source of energy for cells). AMPK is usually activated when cells have high energy demands such as exercise, fasting, and reduced oxygen supply. Due to the central role of AMPK in whole-body energy regulation, AMPK activators have potential for broad therapeutic applications in metabolic, cardiovascular, renal diseases, and cancer.

ATX-304 was originally discovered and developed by Betagenon, a Swedish pharmaceutical company. Betagenon was later acquired by Amplifier, and the two teams continued to jointly develop this drug.

Dr. James Peyer, Cambrian's CEO, mentioned in an interview with industry media Endpoints News that preclinical studies have shown that mice treated with the ATX-304 drug remained lean and healthy even when fed a high-fat diet. "The mice didn't gain weight, but they didn't fall below a healthy weight either," Dr. Peyer said.

"ATX-304 has the potential to positively impact a variety of age-related diseases. We look forward to continued co-development of this drug with the experienced Cambrian team," said Dr. James Hall, CEO of Amplifier.