Advancing weight-loss therapeutic discovery through integrated science
Carol Austin, PhD, Sr. Director, Drug Discovery Project Management and IDD Business Line Leader, Eurofins Discovery, carol.austin@discovery.eurofinsus.com
With global obesity rates projected to surpass one billion by 2030, the world faces a mounting health and economic burden that demands urgent scientific breakthroughs. Addressing this challenge requires collaborative efforts and robust scientific infrastructure to support the development of effective weight-loss therapies.
Eurofins Discovery contributes to this effort by providing fully integrated drug discovery solutions grounded in deep scientific expertise. Our capabilities span the entire discovery continuum from target identification and hit finding to lead optimisation and in vivo validation – enabling data-driven decision-making and streamlined development processes.
A key resource in our metabolic research portfolio is the obesityLITE™ panel, a suite of more than 25 cell-based assays targeting receptors, such as GLP-1R, GIPR, GCGR, and MC4R. These assays support rapid screening of mono, dual, and triagonist therapies, offering insights into potency, selectivity, mechanism-of-action, and ligand imbalance within a single workflow.
Our innovative assays have been widely adopted across the industry, contributing to the development of many weight-loss drugs currently on the market or in clinical trials. Their inclusion in regulatory filings, peer-reviewed publications, and patents highlights their scientific and regulatory relevance.
In addition, our portfolio includes over 10,000 off-the-shelf assays for GPCRs, nuclear hormone receptors, and metabolic enzymes, covering a broad range of next-generation therapeutic targets. The BioMAP® human primary cell platform further enhances translational relevance by modelling disease biology to support mode-of-action studies, toxicity profiling, and benchmarking.
For in vivo studies, Eurofins Discovery supports programmes with clinically relevant models for type 2 diabetes, diet-induced obesity, and MASH, including a humanised liver model for robust preclinical validation.
With a global infrastructure and a collaborative approach, Eurofins Discovery supports the scientific community in advancing the future of weight-loss therapeutics.