Groundbreaking Approach to Treating Obesity Highlighted by Keynote Lecture at American Diabetes Association Annual Scientific Sessions
CAMBRIDGE, MA, June 8, 2009 – Zafgen, Inc., a private venture-backed biopharmaceutical
company focused on developing novel obesity therapeutics, today announced that Randy J.
Seeley, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and associate director for the Metabolic Disease Institute
at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and a member of Zafgen’s scientific
advisory board, will deliver a keynote lecture during the American Diabetes Association’s
(ADA) 69th Annual Scientific Sessions, being held June 5-9 in New Orleans. Dr. Seeley’s lecture
will highlight the nature and function of adipose (fat) tissue as a significant determinant of
obesity, and a groundbreaking approach to developing novel obesity therapeutics that directly
targets adipose vasculature to shrink fat cells and help the body sustain a lean, healthy state.
Dr. Seeley will present his keynote address, titled “How Obesity Goes to Our Head – Novel
Aspects of How Adipose Tissue Communicates with the Central Nervous System,” as the
recipient of the ADA’s Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award (OSAA) during an awards
ceremony that begins at 10:15 a.m. (CT) on Monday, June 8. The annual ADA awards for
highest scientific achievement, including the OSAA, are supported by an educational grant from
Eli Lilly and Company. Dr. Seeley’s lecture will highlight the interdependence between adipose
blood vessel formation (or reduction) and weight gain (or loss). His leading-edge research adds
to a growing body of evidence that shows body weight to be closely regulated by interaction with
and signaling to the brain from adipose tissue. Zafgen is pursuing these key scientific concepts to
advance obesity drug candidates into clinical development.
“We extend our congratulations to Randy on receiving this prestigious and well-deserved
achievement award. As a contributing member of Zafgen’s scientific advisory board, Randy’s
expertise has been instrumental as we pursue new treatments for obesity,” commented Thomas
Hughes, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Zafgen, Inc. “We have a shared view that
obesity is a disease with a number of potentially treatable biological causes. We see adipose tissue as a
complex contributor to the disease, as evidenced by Randy’s research. Because
adipose tissue contains many blood vessels and comprises cells that work to store calories, we
believe it can be successfully manipulated by agents that control its blood supply, driving loss of
fat mass and weight. We continue to apply remarkable scientific insights from Randy and other
leading experts, as we advance our lead molecules toward clinical testing with the goal of
delivering a breakthrough treatment for obesity.”
Dr. Seeley’s research is complementary to that conducted by Zafgen co-founder, Maria Rupnick,
M.D., cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor of medicine at Harvard
Medical School, whose work underscores the critical dependency of fat tissue growth on
neovascularization and demonstrates that the size of adipose tissue, in particular, can be
regulated through angiogenic therapy.
Dr. Seeley commented, “I’m honored to be presenting my research at the ADA Scientific
Sessions, and am hopeful that these findings will contribute to the development of new therapies
that can control obesity, and co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, by altering the function of
fat tissue and/or the signaling between fat tissue and the brain. I look forward to continuing
advising Zafgen – the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing obesity
therapeutics based on vascular targeting – and to contributing further insights to this fascinating
area of research.”
There currently exists a tremendous unmet medical need for effective drug therapies to treat
obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions and is growing at an alarming rate. Obesity
currently affects approximately 72 million Americans, over 30 percent of the U.S. adult
population, and 400 million people worldwide. Further, obesity plays a major role in other
diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer,
compounding the urgency for new and effective treatment options. The presently-available
weight loss treatments, which function by blocking fat absorption or signaling feelings of
fullness or diminished appetite in the brain, suffer from undesirable side effects and limited
efficacy that fails to provide sustainable weight loss in many patients.
About Zafgen, Inc.
Zafgen is the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel obesity
therapeutics that directly target and shrink fat tissue to help the body regain and sustain a lean,
healthy state. Adipose tissue (fat) is composed primarily of cells that store unused calories, as
well as an extensive network of blood vessels that support the tissue. The nature of the tissue and
the interplay between fat cells and the supporting blood vessels play a critical and active role in
determining the overall size of the fat tissue, and therefore, an individual’s weight. Zafgen’s
groundbreaking approach targets obesity at its root cause by safely manipulating and shrinking
the blood supply to fat tissue, driving the loss of fat and a return to a more healthy body weight.
Zafgen's leadership and scientific advisors include the leading experts in obesity, metabolic
disorders and medicinal chemistry. Founded in 2005, the company is located in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.zafgen.com.